Manchester City, title, 2012: what really happened on the pitch?

The dramatic finish to the 2012 Premier League season, in which Sergio Aguero delivered a historic title for Manchester City in the final seconds against Queens Park Rangers, still sparks controversy more than a decade later. The ghosts of the past were stirred up by Mike Dean, the English referee who officiated that match, during a podcast in which he spoke about the ‘strange’ decisions of the QPR players.

It was the final round of an uncertain title race in which a City win at the Etihad against the relegation-threatened QPR would guarantee the club a championship that had eluded the blue side of Manchester for 44 years.

However, nothing was going City’s way. The historic moment threatened to turn into a nightmare of massive proportions, as the London side led until the very end. Then, in a span of two minutes during stoppage time, City players orchestrated a turnaround, snatching the trophy from their city rivals Manchester United, who had already beaten Sunderland and were anxiously awaiting news from their neighbors.

But the news wasn’t to their liking, and Wayne Rooney long ago theorized that QPR players suddenly “took their foot off the gas” after realizing they had secured survival. That theory was reinforced by Mike Dean, who appeared on the podcast The Overlap alongside the legendary United striker.

“There were a few moments that afternoon involving QPR players that drew attention (including Gibril Cisse celebrating with City players),” Dean said. “What struck me as particularly strange was their decision to immediately return possession to City after conceding the equalizer. City scored to make it 2–2, and they just gave them the ball back. We all wondered, ‘What’s happening? Why are they immediately giving the ball back?’ I said it into my mic: ‘Kick-off and immediately return possession to the opponent…’”

Retired for more than two years, Dean says he wasn’t the only official surprised by QPR’s behavior.

“Nick Swarbrick, the fourth official, said, ‘Stay alert, something’s going to happen.’ We just knew something was going to happen. You could sense it. It was also strange that, when QPR realized they were staying in the league, Jamie Mackie was celebrating on the pitch while the match was still ongoing,” Dean recalled.

Wayne Rooney added fuel to the fire, building on Dean’s comments.

“They also had a lot of former City players,” Rooney added, noting that QPR’s squad at the time included Shaun Wright-Phillips, Nedum Onuoha, and Joey Barton, who had been sent off in the 55th minute. All of them had played for City at some point.