On This Day : Manchester City’s Centurions

The date May 13 is fondly remembered by most Manchester City supporters, but while the “93:20” of 2012 remains the most dramatic, May 13, 2018, represents something nearly as special: 100. Eight years ago today, the Premier League witnessed a feat that many pundits believed was mathematically and physically impossible in the modern era. When Gabriel Jesus’ delicate lob hit the back of the net at St. Mary’s Stadium in the 94th minute, it didn’t just win a football match; it created a new category of greatness. The Centurions were born.

As we look back from the vantage point of 2026, the achievement hasn’t aged a day. In a league defined by parity and grueling schedules, reaching three figures remains the North Star of domestic dominance. It was the season where Manchester City were well and truly unplayable.

The final day of the 2017/18 season was, for almost every other team, a formality. The title had been wrapped up weeks prior, and the relegation spots were largely settled. However, for Manchester City, the trip to Southampton was a high-stakes mission. They sat on 97 points. A win would grant them the mystical 100; a draw or loss would leave them as another great champion.

For 93 minutes, it looked like the dream would die on the south coast. Southampton, fighting for their own pride and survival security, had set up an immovable block. City were uncharacteristically sluggish, the weight of the milestone seemingly pressing down on their shoulders. Then, in the final minute of stoppage time, the architect of the entire campaign, Kevin De Bruyne, spotted a ghost of a run. From inside his own half, De Bruyne launched a 50-yard ball that seemed to hang in the air for an eternity.

Gabriel Jesus, drifting between the center-backs, controlled the ball with a velvet touch that took it away from the defender and into his stride. As Alex McCarthy rushed out, Jesus produced a perfectly weighted lob. For a split second, the stadium went silent as the ball arched through the air. When it dropped into the net at exactly 93:01, the City bench erupted. Pep Guardiola’s frantic sprint down the touchline, arms flailing, face a mask of pure relief, is the image that defined the era. It was the last kick of the season, and it was the kick that reached the century.

To truly appreciate the Centurions, one must look at the wreckage they left in the record books. This wasn’t a season won by fine margins; it was a total demolition of the existing benchmarks established by the likes of Sir Alex Ferguson, Arsène Wenger, and José Mourinho.

That Premier League campaign truly rewrote the record books, setting a new standard for dominance by becoming the first team to reach 100 points, surpassing the 95 points set by Chelsea in 2004/05. Throughout the season, they secured 32 wins to edge past Chelsea’s 2016/17 mark of 30, while their attacking prowess resulted in 106 goals, breaking the previous record of 103 held by Chelsea’s 2009/10 squad. This offensive efficiency led to a staggering +79 goal difference, eclipsing the +71 established by Chelsea in 2009/10.

The “Centurions” finished the season with a 19-point winning margin over their nearest rivals, narrowly beating the 18-point gap created by Manchester United in 1999/00. Their clinical form extended away from home, where they picked up 50 away points to top the 48 earned by Chelsea in 2004/05. Additionally, the team maintained a relentless momentum by achieving 18 consecutive wins, shattering the streak of 13 victories previously held by Chelsea’s 2016/17 side.

The most staggering figure from the ones above isn’t the 100 points, but the 19-point gap over second-place Manchester United. In a league that prides itself on being the most competitive in the world, City turned the rest of the “Big Six” into a distant, blurry background. They won more games away from home (16) than most teams won in total.

The 2017/18 season was the definitive “proof of concept” for Pep Guardiola in England. After a difficult first season where critics claimed his style “wouldn’t work in the cold, wet reality of the Premier League,” Pep doubled down. He didn’t adapt to the league; he forced the league to adapt to him.

The arrival of Ederson was the catalyst. Before 2017, goalkeepers in the premier league were shot-stoppers who occasionally cleared their lines. Ederson turned the position into a “Quarterback” role. His ability to bypass a high press with 70-yard flat passes to the wingers changed the geometry of the pitch. If you pressed City, Ederson would kill you with a long ball; if you sat off, he would help the defenders play through you.

With Benjamin Mendy injured early on, Guardiola repurposed Fabian Delph and Kyle Walker into full-backs who tucked into the middle. This created a box midfield that allowed De Bruyne and David Silva, the “Free 8s”, to push higher and devastate opposition defenses. It was “Death by a Thousand Passes,” but with a lethal, vertical edge.

While the system was the star, the individual performances were stratospheric.

Kevin De Bruyne, the heartbeat. He finished the season with 16 assists and a library of goals from outside the box. His vision was the bridge between Guardiola’s ideas and the back of the net. Raheem Sterling and Leroy Sané provided the width and the “chaos factor.” Sterling, in particular, transformed into a prolific goal-scorer, netting 18 times, including several vital late winners (Bournemouth, Huddersfield, and Southampton at home) that kept the momentum alive.
Fernandinho anchored the midfield with a cynical, brilliant efficiency, while David Silva, navigating a deeply difficult personal period with the premature birth of his son, produced some of the most moving, artistic football ever seen on English soil.

Eight years later, the debate remains: which is the greater achievement? Arsenal’s “Invincibles” of 2003/04 or City’s “Centurions” of 2017/18?

The Invincibles achieved the psychological feat of never being beaten, a feat of resilience that is arguably harder to maintain over 38 games. However, the Centurions reached a higher ceiling of excellence. City won six more games than the Invincibles (32 vs. 26) and scored 33 more goals (106 vs. 73). While Arsenal might have played for draws to preserve their streak, City played for wins to chase the century.

Statistically, the Centurions were a more efficient “points-gathering machine,” averaging 2.63 points per game. In the eight years since, only Liverpool’s 2019/20 side (99 points) has come within a single point of that benchmark. It has become the psychological barrier of the Premier League; a number so high it requires a team to be all but perfect from August to May.

As we celebrate the eighth anniversary of that sunny afternoon in Southampton, the achievement feels even more monumental. It wasn’t just about the trophy; it was about the relentless pursuit of more. City didn’t stop at 90 points, or 95, or even 98. They pushed until the very last second of the very last game because they understood that 100 wasn’t just a number, it was immortality. Gabriel Jesus’ lob, De Bruyne’s pass, and Pep’s sprint remain the defining trilogy of the Centurion era. They proved that in football, as in life, the difference between “great” and “legendary” often comes down to what you are willing to do in the 94th minute of a game that “doesn’t matter.”