Phil Foden struck twice early on as Manchester City secured a historic fourth successive Premier League title with a convincing 3-1 win over West Ham on Sunday.

There were few signs of last-day nerves from Pep Guardiola’s dominant side, although a spectacular effort from Mohammed Kudus just before half-time at the Etihad Stadium did give rivals Arsenal brief hope.

Yet that was soon extinguished as Rodri drove home City’s third to complete their sixth league success in seven seasons under the inspirational Pep Guardiola on a sunny Sunday afternoon.

The victory ensured they could not be caught by the second-placed Gunners regardless of their result against Everton.

Foden told Sky Sports: “It’s so hard to put into words what we’ve done today. I think now we’ve put ourselves in the history books.

“No team’s ever done it and you see what it means to the fans and what it means to us. We’ve been working all year for this moment. It’s such a special feeling today.

“You never get bored of it. I want this feeling every time. When you win something, there’s no better feeling. I just want to keep winning as much as I can.”

Foden scored his first goal inside two minutes and he believes the experience of City’s players in such situations played a part as they held off Arsenal, who beat Everton 2-1 late on.

“All the lads have played in important games over the years; we’ve played this scenario a couple of times as well, so I think it helps with the nerves,” he said.

“I thought today we looked confident and just played our football, and in the end, it paid off.”

Arsenal’s Kai Havertz promised the club’s fans their side “will be even better” next season after failing in their bid to win the title.

Havertz told TNT Sports: “I feel sorry for all the Arsenal fans, for us, we gave our best, but it wasn’t enough.

“Maybe in two or three months, we can say ‘it was a good fight’, but right now, I feel like we deserved more. It wasn’t enough in the end, but we go again next year.

“Sometimes, it’s not fair in football, but we have to accept it. Football is hard, but hopefully, we can go again next year and give the Arsenal fans what they need and what they’re all here for.

“It’s frustrating. When you see all the fans here, it’s tough, but I can tell them next year we’re going to be an even better team, and we’re going to give everything again. That’s all I can say.”

(dpa/NAN)