Pep Guardiola dedicated Manchester City’s dramatic Premier League title victory to the victims and their families of the Manchester Arena bombing.
City won their fourth title in five seasons with a thrilling 3-2 victory over Aston Villa on Sunday, coming back from a 2-0 deficit with less than 15 minutes remaining to beat Liverpool by a single point.
The game took place on the fifth anniversary of the Manchester Arena terrorist attack, in which 22 people died and hundreds were injured when suicide bomber Salman Abedi detonated a device outside an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017.
On Sunday, there were several tributes and moments of reflection across Manchester, including a minute of applause at the Great Manchester Run and commemorations at Victoria Station and the Glade of Light memorial. Manchester Cathedral’s bells will also ring out at 10:31 p.m. BST on Sunday night to commemorate the attack.
City and Villa players wore black armbands to commemorate the occasion, while City and Manchester United wore bee symbols on their shirts for Sunday’s games.
Guardiola said after City’s dramatic win over Villa in his post-match press conference: “It’s the fifth anniversary of the Manchester Arena tragedy. It’s a special day for us, we want to share it with the families who suffered in this terrible event and dedicate this to them.”
Guardiola also stated that this City team would be remembered as “legends” after winning nine major trophies in his six years as manager at the Etihad.
“When you win in the Premier League four times in five seasons, it’s because these guys are so, so special. We’ll be remembered,” he said. “These guys are legends.”
Guardiola, on the other hand, would not be drawn on his own long-term City future as he approaches the end of his contract.
“Now I don’t have the energy or desire to think about next season,” he said. “It was a real tough two months in the Champions League and here but we are champions again. We will defend our crown again and again.”