London, May 23 (IANS): Star footballers Kevin De Bruyne and Raheem Sterling have termed Manchester City's fourth Premier League title win in five seasons as an 'unbelievable achievement'.
City came from two goals down to beat Aston Villa 3-2 at the Etihad Stadium to become 2021-22 Premier League champions, beating Liverpool to the title by one point.
Sterling was introduced from the bench and made an immediate impact, providing the assist for Ilkay Gundogan to score the first goal for Pep Guardiola's side. The 27-year-old Sterling said that the team's consistent success is something to be appreciated.
"It shows what a talented bunch of players we have and the determination to keep on winning. This is an unbelievable achievement. When the first goal went in I still thought we could do it. It shows consistency. It was an unbelievable win," he said.
The 27-year-old Sterling has lavished praise on rivals Liverpool, who pushed Guardiola's side all the way in the race for the title.
"Liverpool is a great opponent. They push us every year and that helps us to become better too. It's a great one to add to the tally. It's an unbelievable achievement. Each year we come in and we know how difficult it will be," he admitted.
Another City star player Kevin De Bruyne said that Liverpool's relentless pursuit of the Premier League crown forced the team to come out on top.
De Bruyne believes the excellence of the Anfield club has made City even better.
"It's hard because Liverpool push you so far that you have to be excellent all the time. Losing points means the end. That's why it is that hard. That makes us proud. We managed to find a way," said de Bruyne.
When asked whether he panicked when Phillipe Coutinho doubled Villa's lead in the second half, de Bruyne didn't hesitate to tell the truth.
"Maybe a couple of times. It's so different you can't explain it. You try to stay as calm as possible. I think for about 10 seconds you doubt yourself, then you just go for it. 2-1 changed the whole situation for me. The stadium changes, the atmosphere, the players, then we just didn't look back. Ilkay (Gundogan) and Zinchenko changed the game today," he said.