Manchester City have one hand on the Premier League trophy after Yaya Toure's double fired them to a 2-0 success at Newcastle.
Having climbed to the top of the table with Monday's derby victory over Manchester United, Roberto Mancini's men remain top on goal difference after the Red Devils defeated Swansea 2-0.
That means City lead by eight goals at the summit ahead of the final day of the season.
City now know that they will celebrate their first top-flight crown since 1968 if they can overcome relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers, and former manager Mark Hughes, at the Etihad Stadium next weekend.
A tense afternoon on Tyneside was settled by two goals from Toure, with the Ivory Coast international given more freedom by the introduction of midfield enforcer Nigel de Jong in place of Samir Nasri in the 61st minute.
The deadlock was broken just nine minutes later as Toure curled home a superb shot from outside the box which gave Tim Krul no chance after exchanging passes with Sergio Aguero, with De Jong also involved in the build-up to the goal.
With the Magpies pushing for an equaliser in their Champions League chase, City broke from a corner with Toure sweeping the ball home from close range after a neat move involving Aguero, De Jong and Gael Clichy.
City's last triumph 44 years ago came courtesy of a 4-3 win at St James' Park, and this victory could prove almost as pivotal.
Mancini's players celebrated just as lustily as their fans high in the stand behind Krul's goal after the final whistle with the promise of glory tantalisingly close.
United kept the title race going to to the final day of the season with victory over Swansea, but they failed to find the glut of goals they needed to turn up the heat on City.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men produced an impressive performance against the Swans with Paul Scholes' clever flick from close-range putting them in front just before the half-hour mark.
Ashley Young then fired in a second before half-time and there was a sense of urgency about United as they pressed forward looking to add to their advantage.
However, any possibility of the Red Devils running up such an emphatic victory that they would have a chance to finish with a better goal difference than Manchester City disappeared in the second half as Swansea displayed the sort of spirit they have shown all season to make life difficult for the title hopefuls.
The title will therefore be decided on the final day of the season as United remain level on points with their Manchester rivals ahead of their journey to Sunderland.
Having climbed to the top of the table with Monday's derby victory over Manchester United, Roberto Mancini's men remain top on goal difference after the Red Devils defeated Swansea 2-0.
That means City lead by eight goals at the summit ahead of the final day of the season.
City now know that they will celebrate their first top-flight crown since 1968 if they can overcome relegation-threatened Queens Park Rangers, and former manager Mark Hughes, at the Etihad Stadium next weekend.
A tense afternoon on Tyneside was settled by two goals from Toure, with the Ivory Coast international given more freedom by the introduction of midfield enforcer Nigel de Jong in place of Samir Nasri in the 61st minute.
The deadlock was broken just nine minutes later as Toure curled home a superb shot from outside the box which gave Tim Krul no chance after exchanging passes with Sergio Aguero, with De Jong also involved in the build-up to the goal.
With the Magpies pushing for an equaliser in their Champions League chase, City broke from a corner with Toure sweeping the ball home from close range after a neat move involving Aguero, De Jong and Gael Clichy.
City's last triumph 44 years ago came courtesy of a 4-3 win at St James' Park, and this victory could prove almost as pivotal.
Mancini's players celebrated just as lustily as their fans high in the stand behind Krul's goal after the final whistle with the promise of glory tantalisingly close.
United kept the title race going to to the final day of the season with victory over Swansea, but they failed to find the glut of goals they needed to turn up the heat on City.
Sir Alex Ferguson's men produced an impressive performance against the Swans with Paul Scholes' clever flick from close-range putting them in front just before the half-hour mark.
Ashley Young then fired in a second before half-time and there was a sense of urgency about United as they pressed forward looking to add to their advantage.
However, any possibility of the Red Devils running up such an emphatic victory that they would have a chance to finish with a better goal difference than Manchester City disappeared in the second half as Swansea displayed the sort of spirit they have shown all season to make life difficult for the title hopefuls.
The title will therefore be decided on the final day of the season as United remain level on points with their Manchester rivals ahead of their journey to Sunderland.