They left it ever so late, but Manchester City capitalised on Liverpool's slip-up to win the 2013-14 Premier League title.
Yet, just as it did in 2012, attention almost instantly turned to the next season and whether City could mount a serious defence of the trophy.
Under Roberto Mancini they failed and the same has happened with Manuel Pellegrini at the helm, which has resulted in speculation that the Chilean will be sent packing in the summer.
Here, Sports Mole looks back over the entire 2014-15 campaign from a City perspective.
August
Having won the Premier League in 2013-14, this campaign was always going to be a test of just how much mettle Pellegrini's men possessed.
Following a modest summer in the transfer window, City got their campaign off to a disappointing start as they were comfortably beaten 3-0 by Arsenal in the Community Shield.
Premier League matters began more positively with successive victories over Newcastle United and Liverpool, giving Manuel Pellegrini's side six points from their opening two games, but a shock 1-0 defeat at home to Stoke City suggested that the crown was weighing heavy for the champions.
© Getty Images
September
An unbeaten month in the league started in entertaining style with a 2-2 draw away to Arsenal as a late goal from Martin Demichelis earned City a share of the spoils.
The Blues had loan signing Frank Lampard to thank against Chelsea, with the midfielder netting during the final stages against his former club to give his side a point in a 1-1 draw before a 4-2 victory over Hull City ended the month positively.
© Getty Images
City's Champions League adventure began in heartbreaking fashion in Group E after a last-gasp goal saw them lose 1-0 in Germany against Bayern Munich, while a 1-1 draw at home to Roma left the team with just one point from a possible six.
Meanwhile, the defence of their League Cup crown started in the second round with a resounding 7-0 thrashing of 10-man Sheffield Wednesday, with Frank Lampard, Edin Dzeko and Yaya Toure all finding the net.
October
Sergio Aguero continued to be a threat in front of goal at the start of October, netting late on to seal a 2-0 win over Aston Villa. However, one of his finest performances of the campaign came against Tottenham Hotspur as he scored all four of his side's goals in a 4-1 victory against the North Londoners.
A difficult trip to an in-form West Ham United came soon after, and City came a cropper in the capital when the Hammers defeated them 2-1.
© Getty Images
An inconsistent month was compounded when the Champions League came around again as a 2-2 draw with CSKA Moscow threatened to seriously damage their chances of reaching the last 16. Having gone 2-0 up and on course for their first victory in the group, City had to settle for just a point after conceding twice in the final 25 minutes in Russia.
It got worse at the very end of October as a 2-0 loss at home to Newcastle United put the holders out of the League Cup in the third round, leading to reports that Manuel Pellegrini's future at the club was now on the line.
November
The penultimate month of the year kicked off with a big derby at home to Manchester United, and it was City who came out on top 1-0 thanks to a second-half strike from Aguero.
Further points were dropped in the league when they were held to a 2-2 draw by Queens Park Rangers, but the champions made amends with victories over Swansea City and Southampton respectively.
© Getty Images
On the European front, a disastrous 2-1 loss at home to CSKA Moscow looked to have all but dashed the team's hopes of progressing in the Champions League, only for a dramatic 3-2 triumph over Bayern Munich to rejuvenate them in the competition.
Bayern were leading 2-1 with five minutes left to play before Aguero turned hero yet again with a brace to hand them the three points, meaning that a win in Rome in their final group fixture would send them through.
December
City's winning run in the league continued with a thumping 4-1 victory at Sunderland - a bogey team for the Blues in recent years - before narrow triumphs over Everton and Leicester City respectively helped the champions crank up the pressure on leaders Chelsea.
With Aguero and Dzeko both picking up injuries, there were doubts over how City would cope during a busy festive schedule, but these doubts were made to look silly as comfortable victories against Crystal Palace and West Bromwich Albion made it nine straight wins. They were close to making it a club-record 10, only to squander a two-goal lead and draw 2-2 with Burnley.
© Getty Images
Arguably their biggest fixture of the season came in December as a trip to Roma was set up to determine their future in the Champions League. With the winner likely to book their place in the last 16, tensions were high in the Italian capital.
However, it was Manuel Pellegrini's men who came away with a 2-0 win thanks to goals from Samir Nasri and Pablo Zabaleta. Getting through to the knockout stage looked unlikely a couple of months earlier, but City pulled a rabbit from the hat late in the day to seal their progress.
January
With Chelsea failing to beat Southampton, City knew that a New Year's Day win over Sunderland would see them go level with the Blues at the top of the table.
They did just that, although it was by no means straightforward. The visiting Black Cats pulled back a two-goal deficit, but it was veteran midfielder Lampard that sealed all three points for City.
© Getty Images
However, having restored parity in the title race, the Citizens didn't win another Premier League game in January. Draws were played out against Everton and Chelsea, while Arsenal left the Etihad Stadium with a 2-0 victory for their efforts.
Worse was to come in the FA Cup, when having struggled past Sheffield Wednesday in the third round, City were dumped out at home by Championship side Middlesbrough. So, five points adrift of Chelsea and out of the FA Cup heading into February, it wasn't exactly a January to remember for the champions.
February
At the beginning of the month, West Londoners Chelsea extended their lead at the top to seven points as City made it four Premier League games without a win.
In fact, it looked as though it was going to be even worse when Hull held a 1-0 lead heading into stoppage time at the Etihad Stadium, only for James Milner to curl in a late equaliser.
© Getty Images
To City's credit, the response was a positive one as they scored nine goals in their next two matches against Stoke and Newcastle, conceding just one in the process.
Having produced a minor miracle to reach the last 16 of the Champions League, the draw wasn't kind to City, with Barcelona once again their opponents. The Spaniards travelled to Manchester for the opening leg at the end of the month and left with a 2-1 victory thanks to a Luis Suarez double. The situation would have been even bleaker for City had Joe Hart not saved a Lionel Messi penalty in the closing stages.
March
Unsurprisingly, Barca's advantage of having scored two away goals proved too much to bridge for City. Ivan Rakitic scored the only goal of the game to seal a 3-1 aggregate win for the home side. On a personal level, it must have been a pleasing night for Hart, who was lauded for a string of great saves.
Meanwhile, back in England, March was the month that City all but surrendered their Premier League title in limp fashion.
© Getty Images
Leicester and West Brom may have been defeated comfortably at the Etihad, but a 2-1 loss away at Liverpool, followed by a 1-0 defeat at Turf Moor against struggling Burnley left Chelsea on the cusp of a first title in five years.
Not only that, it also resulted in much speculation that Pellegrini would be moved on at the end of the season.
April
If March had been a disappointing month, April would not be far behind it. City dominated proceedings down at Selhurst Park, but they returned to Manchester having been defeated 2-1 by hosting Palace.
Next was the Manchester derby at Old Trafford - a fixture that City went into having beaten United on the previous four occasions. Aguero gave them an early lead, but after that they were steamrolled by the home side, who won through 4-2.
© Getty Images
That was followed by home victories over West Ham and Villa, but, with the damage already done, it did little to improve the mood around the club.
Consequently, as the season entered its final month, Chelsea were one win away from being crowned champions of England.
May
With the pressure off, it seemed to be reflected in City's performance as the campaign drew to a close.
A trip to White Hart Lane saw Aguero score the only goal of the game, before QPR were hammered 6-0 at the Etihad. A hat-trick from Aguero took his Premier League tally for the season to 25 goals, yet he was strangely not included in the PFA Team of the Year.
© Getty Images
The Argentine didn't get his name on the scoresheet at the Liberty Stadium next time out, but Toure, who appears to be on the verge of leaving the club, stepped up, scoring twice in a 4-2 win over hosting Swansea.
Fittingly, the final say on City's season would go to Aguero on the last day as he scored in a 2-0 win over Southampton, with Lampard, who was playing his final game before heading for the MLS, also getting his name on the scoresheet.
