5 clubs who choked in the Premier League title race

#2 Manchester United 2011/2012

Manchester City won the 2012 EPL title in dramatic circumstances

Since the inception of the Premier League in 1992, Manchester United proved themselves to be the most dominant team by far in the land, winning 12 of the first 20 League titles and knocking Liverpool off their 'perch' (like Fergie said he will).

In Sir Alex Ferguson, they had unarguably the most successful British manager of all time and had proved themselves adept in overcoming league deficits to triumph when it really matters (hell they've been beneficiaries thrice on the list already).

So it therefore came as a major surprise when the hunter became the hunted during the course of the 2011/2012 Premier League season.

Manchester City had seen their fortunes massively transformed in 2008 when they were the subject of a takeover by Arab billionaire Sheik Mansour, with billions spent in revamping the club and bringing in players to take them to the next level.

Champions League qualification was achieved at the end of the 2010/2011 season, but they were interested in taking it a step further the next season.

A shock 6-1 victory over Manchester United in October at Old Trafford took City five points clear at the top and they maintained their lead atop the table until March (with their lead at one point being as high as eight points).

A slump in the month of March however saw City flounder, while United embarked on a winning run which saw them move eight points clear with just six matches remaining.

At that stage, it seemed like the league title was done and dusted, as United needed to win just four of the last six to guarantee their top spot and for a club the size of United with a manager like Fergie this was surely easy peesy right?..... wrong.

The next week, United visited relegation threatened Wigan Athletic who had lost all 13 matches played against United since 2005 which saw the Red Devils installed as heavy favorites in the tie.

In shocking scenes, United lost the match 1-0, while City won their own match to reduce the deficit to just five points.

Two matchdays later saw United host Everton and they once more floundered, throwing away a 3-1 lead to draw 4-4 and see their lead cut to just three points ahead of their matchday 36 top-of-the-table clash with their city rivals and challengers Manchester City.

A Vincent Kompany header settled the Manchester Derby 1-0 in favor of the blue half of Manchester to send The Cityzens top of the league on goal difference.

Both clubs won their respective clashes on matchday 37, but with a much better goal difference than United, all City needed to do was match United's result to guarantee them being league champions and they hosted relegation threatened QPR at a packed City of Manchester Stadium.

The drama in this most spectacular of seasons was however far from over, as City found themselves trailing 2-1, while United were winning Sunderland 1-0, which meant that with just few minutes of the season left, the title was heading to Old Trafford, with Fergie already urging his players to begin celebrations as news of City's game filtered in.

In dramatic scenes, Eden Dzeko equalized in the first minute of stoppage time, while Sergio Aguero scored with virtually the last kick of the season to spark delirious scenes among Manchester City fans and ensure Fergie ate back his words of the club carrying the league over his dead body.

The league title was City's first in almost 50 years, but with just six matches left, it was very close to not happening.