Manchester City beats Swansea 5-0

File:Man City players

Champions Manchester City kept their English Premier League title party rolling with a thumping 5-0 win over Swansea City on Sunday.

Kevin De Bruyne scored what looked to be one of the goals of the season to make the evening more exciting.

Swansea stayed 17th, four points above the relegation zone after 34 matches.

Manchester City on their part moved on to 90 points, still hoping to beat league records for the most points, wins and goals in a season.

Raheem Sterling set up David Silva for the opening goal after 12 minutes.

The England winger scored the second four minutes later from close range after Fabian Delph cut the ball across.

De Bruyne made it three after the break with a thunderous effort.

Bernardo Silva grabbed the fourth by following up after Lukas Fabianski tipped Gabriel Jesus’s penalty kick on to the post, and Brazilian Jesus headed home the fifth late on.

Manchester City won the title a week ago after second-placed Manchester United slipped up, but Guardiola said his side would still chase down milestones in the final weeks of the season.

They need six more points to break the English Premier League record of 95 set by Chelsea in 2005.

Their goal glut against Swansea took them to 98, five short of the 103 scored by Chelsea in the 2009-10 season.

Guardiola’s team are also one win short of Chelsea’s record of 30 in a 38-game season, set last year.

De Bruyne’s sensational goal was one of the most memorable of the season and his first since January.

“I don’t score a lot of goals inside the box. I get more opportunities to shoot from far away. So, you just try it and it was a nice goal,” the Belgian midfielder said.

“You know (when) you have a clean strike, you feel it. It’s very difficult for the goalkeeper to catch it.”

There was another positive as wing back Benjamin Mendy made a return to action as a 75th-minute substitute, appearing for the first time since suffering a knee ligament injury in September.

The final whistle sparked jubilant scenes, with Manchester City supporters running on to the pitch to celebrate the title win with the players.

They were however able to escape into the dressing room with the help of stewards.

“It’s a very nice feeling (to play like this). We wanted to perform in these games like we did all season,” De Bruyne added.

“You see it from the fans point of view. They enjoy it if you put in the effort and play like we did today.”

(Reuters/NAN)