Man City clinch title

Huckerby grabbed a hat-trick for the champions

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Kevin Keegan's Manchester City side clinched the Division One title in some style with a 5-1 thrashing of lowly Barnsley.

A hat-trick from Darren Huckerby and a brace from Jonathon Macken ensured that the runaway leaders - already promoted after Wolves' defeat on Friday - took the championship too.

But while those players grabbed the goals, it was midfield magician Ali Benarbia who inspired this latest City victory.

Benarbia added to the party atmosphere created at Maine Road by creating the opening goal after just 11 minutes.

The Algerian chipped the ball between two defenders for Huckerby, who took a couple of strides before delivering a shot into the corner beyond goalkeeper Andy Marriott.

Barnsley, in danger of dropping into Division Two, looked nervous at the back in the opening stages.

Keegan was thrilled at his side's performance

Chris Morgan put Marriott under pressure with a poor back pass which Benarbia latched onto, but then the playmaker over-hit his cross for Huckerby.

However, Barnsley twice came close to equalising when Bruce Dyer wasted a good chance and then Chris Lumsden rattled the crossbar from a free-kick.

City immediately hit back and Marriott did well to get a hand to Huckerby's shot after Shaun Wright-Phillips had carved out an opening.

But the newly-promoted side continued to look sloppy at the back and Kevin Betsy was inches away from scoring from a hanging cross from Gary Jones.

At the other end there were few errors as Benarbia set up another goal, again for Huckerby, in the 36th minute.

But Dyer was allowed to pull a goal back just before the break.

City's poor defending continued in the second half as Paul Gibbs put a decent chance to level into the side-netting following a fine cross from Dyer.