Kompany produces iconic moment to further cement his place in City folklore

Monday night was a colossal one in the race for the Premier League title and the equation for Manchester City was simple, defeat Leicester and they'd return to the top with one game remaining. At the Etihad Stadium this season the Blues have won 17 of their 18 games so it looked like something of a certainty, but in reality it was much the opposite.

Brendan Rodgers' Foxes provided stern, rugged opposition for Pep Guardiola's men with the visitors defending resolutely and looking a real threat on the break. City are used to blowing teams away in the early exchanges but as the game progressed and the scores remained level, the crowds anxiety levels grew. Misplaced passes were greeted with groans, counter attacks met with a nervous hush, meaning that something special needed to happen in order to break the deadlock and boy did that happen.

When it comes to match winners there are plenty in Manchester City's ranks, with the likes of Sergio Aguero, Raheem Sterling and Bernardo Silva usually coming up with the goods. But this time it wasn't their world class attacking talents that won the game, it was an old stalwart with an absolute peach of a strike to send the home crowd into delirium - despite shouts from his teammates not to shoot!

Vincent Kompany may not start as many games as he used to but it just cannot be underestimated how important he is to Manchester City Football Club. His work in the community, his influence on the young players, charity work, leadership in the dressing, consistency on the pitch - the big Belgian is a legend.

The 33 year-old has seen it all at Eastlands, joining before the riches of the Sheikh Mansour and despite being in that era of huge spending and big name acquisitions, he's remained an ever-present in the side which is a real testament to his ability. So for him to score what could prove to be THE deciding moment in the title race will be massively satisfying for both himself and the clubs fan base who idolise him.

This season has produced one of (if not) the best Premier League title races of all time between two clubs who're both worthy recipients of the trophy. In elite sport it always comes down to fine margins, moments of world class quality and it looks like that's once again going to be the case in the PL.

Vincent Kompany's thunderbolt sent City ahead of their north west rivals by a solitary point and they now know that they're just one win away from becoming the first side since Manchester United in 2009 to win back-to-back titles alongside completing a potential domestic treble.

Players have come and gone during the Sheikh Mansour era at Manchester City but three players have remained an ever present. Sergio Aguero, David Silva and of course Kompany who've all cemented their place in history as three of the clubs greatest. Aguero & Silva are the ones who grab the headlines for their attacking exploits but Kompany's goal on Monday once again proved that he's one of the men for the big occasion.

He doesn't score many, but in two of their three Premier League title winning campaigns he's netted vital goals which have played a big part in the trophy heading to Eastlands. His header against Manchester United in 11/12 and stabbed effort on the final day against West Ham in 13/14 were massive but his strike against the Foxes was a completely different entity, a sublime, iconic moment that'll be forever associated with the 33 year-olds time in Manchester.

If we see Aguero or Sane hit that we are raving about it, but the fact it came from a man who's never scored a goal from outside the box is really something else. Kompany will never hit a ball sweeter than he did on Monday night and the ramifications of it make it all the more impressive. Their iconic no.4 has put one hand on the trophy for them and the scenes at the end of the 90 minutes showed just how much it meant to him.

The Belgian is known for being a tough defender but the emotions clearly got the better of him, with tears in his eyes as he and his teammates did a lap of honour in their final Etihad outing of the season. It was a fantastic moment for everyone associated with the club and it's vital that they extend his contract which is set to expire this summer. Even if he isn't going to play week-in-week-out, it's imperative he remains and provides the example for the next batch of City talent.

Vincent Kompany has long been classed as one of Manchester City's greatest and a man for the big occasion, but that goal against Leicester has certainly taken that up a notch. Since joining the club as an unknown holding midfielder back in 2008 he's gone onto become one of the best centre halves in both the Premier League's and clubs history.

Kompany has been a permanent fixture under all of City's managers during his spell at the club and he's proven he's not just a physical defender. He can drive from defence, play out from the back and of course pop up with those moments of quality on the biggest of stages. His consistency and influence at the club means that he deserves to be considered as one of the best ever not just for City, but the PL as a whole.

He's not getting any younger but it's imperative that the club retain him and when he does eventually move on or retire, they will have a massive void to fill. Vincent Kompany is the very definition of the world 'legend' and he could end the campaign lifting two more trophies to round off another fantastic season.