Kompany: Miracles do happen

Captain Vincent Kompany gloried in the fact "miracles do happen" to Manchester City after a quite phenomenal end to the Premier League season.

Overwhelming favourites before kick-off, City looked to have blown their big chance when they threw away a first-half lead against 10-man QPR.

But with their own game in stoppage time and Manchester United's players at Sunderland watching on TV knowing anything other than a Blues win would give them the title, City dredged up the most memorable finish in the 20-year history of the Premier League.

Edin Dzeko headed the hosts level before Sergio Aguero completed the most amazing comeback imaginable when he latched onto Mario Balotelli's pass and drilled home the goal that earned City their first league title since 1968.

"This game was crazy," Kompany said. "There are no words to explain what happened today. I just remember them having two shots and it was bang, goal.

"We had so many chances. It just had to happen for us.

"Miracles do happen in Manchester. This time it is on this side of the road."

What happened afterwards was a blur as Kompany dived into a melee of players with Aguero underneath, before the game restarted and referee Mike Dean finally blew his whistle to bring the curtain down on the best season in living memory.

"It is one big blur," Kompany added. "I remember jumping on top of Sergio when he scored the goal. He was crying on the floor.

"All the guys were pouring their eyes out. You don't see strong personalities like that showing their emotion so often.

"We expected to win the league today. The disappointment of being one goal down was incredible.

"For us to do it was one of the best moments of my life, together with my wedding and the birth of my child."

When Jamie Mackie added to Djibril Cisse's second-half equaliser, most City fans were still desperately hoping for an unlikely win.

Manager Roberto Mancini's focus was on a draw and hoping Sunderland would do them a favour at the Stadium of Light.

"It was a crazy finish to a crazy season," Mancini said. "I have never seen a final like this. In the history of the club, a final like this does not exist.

"I am very proud of my players though. They wanted to win this title until the last second of the last game."

Mancini had no doubts City deserved their success having established superiority over Manchester United in every department apart from, until the final two minutes, their league position.

"We deserved it," he said. "We played the best football. We scored the most goals, we conceded the fewest. We beat United twice."

Mancini was particularly pleased that Aguero and Balotelli should be the players who combined for the crucial goal.

"I am happy because Mario did the assist," the Italian said. "It is important for him to finish this season like this.

"It is also right that Sergio scored the last goal."

Mancini also revealed that all that talk of United being favourites, which he maintained even after the seismic Manchester derby win less than a fortnight ago, was rubbish, as everyone suspected.

"I never believed it was finished," he said. "I said that because I wanted to take the pressure off us.

"After we dominated for 28 games, I was sure we would get another chance before the end of the season.

"It was important for us to get to the derby three points behind. We wanted this."

Now though, with the club's trophy drought well and truly at an end, City must keep going and Mancini will demand that it happens.

"We are happy because we won this trophy after 44 years," he said. "We changed the history of this club by beating a strong team like United.

"I hope we can continue to win but now we need to improve.

"It is the second time on the trot we have conceded the fewest goals. This year we also scored the most.

"But we must also be prepared to play in the Champions League and that was not the case this year."