Manchester City Wins Premier League Title

In one of the most dramatic bits of theater the sports world has ever offered, Manchester City scored two stoppage time goals and rallied past QPR to steal the Premier League title from their bitter rival, Manchester United. @JoeBianchino

As the clock shown 90 minutes at City of Manchester Stadium, and as this final game of the Premier League season clicked into stoppage time, grown men stood in the stands openly weeping.  Men who had woken that morning certain that they were just hours away from watching their squad sweep aside one the league's worst teams, and claim their first championship in forty-four years.  Men who now found themselves watching a desperate team try to find two goals in five minutes against an inferior, 10 men side, while their bigger, badder brother sat waiting - with a win already secured - for the title that they had all but gagged away only a few weeks ago.

But of course, there was still time to play - still time to wipe the ever-growing smile off the faces of United fans.  So when Dzeko delivered the equalizer with a powerful header, despair turned to hope.  And when just seconds later, the crafty run of Sergio Aguero found the Argentinian with space enough to drive home the winner, hope turned to unabated elation. Over two score of waiting had finally been ended, in as dramatic a fashion as could have been written.  Only seconds after United thought they had taken the title, City had ripped it away and claimed it for themselves.

The win was the cherry on top of not only a roller coaster Premier League season, but a day of back and forth, tight games that saw teams yo-yo in and out of relegation and Champions League qualification.  Little of that will be thought of in Manchester, however.  There, the City will be split between the anguish of a title lost, and the bliss of a dream finally realized.

And so the Premier League exits, and leaves the world with the lasting memory of one of the greatest bits of drama sport may have ever seen.  The tension, the twists of fate, the anticipation of one goal that could decide a championship, the juxtaposition of emotions when that goal was finally realized.  You only have to look as far as City manager Roberto Mancini for the very personification of this day.  In the 89th minute, Mancini looked to be coming unglued - screaming, stamping, literally pulling out his own hair.  But the 95th?  Mancini found himself joyfully leaping into the arms of whomever he could find, sprinting throughout the sideline with seemingly no aim but to run off the adrenaline with which he'd just been jolted.  This was sport at its absolute best, today - and those who didn't see it quite simply lost out.  It was a day that should be - and will be - remembered for ages.  Congratulations to Manchester City and their fans.  Blue Moon indeed.