Kitchee held off a determined Lee Man as they twice came from behind to force a 2-2 draw and clinch the BOC Life Premier League championship in a final-day thriller.

The result gave Kitchee their third league title in a row, their sixth in the nine years since the Premier League was established and the 12th top-flight crown in their history, as they finished the season on 46 points, two ahead of second-placed Lee Man.

Ruslan Mingazov of Kitchee was sent off for a second booking in the 64th minute of a tense title decider in which referee Tam Ping-wun also handed out 12 yellow cards.

But despite being reduced to 10 men, the leaders battled to the draw they needed and remained on course for a treble, having won the Senior Shield in January and with the FA Cup final against BC Rangers to come on Saturday.

In front of a 6,400 sold-out crowd at Mong Kok Stadium, Lee Man, who had to win to overtake their opponents and claim their first league title, had a brilliant start.

They went ahead in the eighth minute, thanks to the hard work of Everton Camargo, who outpaced defender Law Tsz-chun down the right flank before pulling the ball back for Manuel Bleda to score.

Their jubilation was fairly short-lived as Mikael Burkatt levelled the score with a penalty after Mingazov was brought down by Fernando Recio in the 23rd minute.

Lee Man continued to search for the goal they needed after the break, helped by the early departure of Mingazov, and they went into the lead again in the 73rd minute when Camargo headed home a free kick to revitalise their title hopes.

However, another header from a free kick, by substitute Andrew Russell, gave Kitchee the equaliser just three minutes later.

Kitchee president Ken Ng praised his club’s players after they fought back to secure the all-important point.

“At one point I thought, ‘We have won five Premier League titles already and if we can’t manage it this time, we can try next season,’” Ng said. “But thanks to the hard work of the players, they kept giving their all until the very end. They were all totally exhausted afterwards.

“I would also like to thank Lee Man for producing such an impressive performance. Hong Kong football needs teams like them to bring about good matches and attract the fans, giving us such a passionate atmosphere tonight.”

Winning the title sends Kitchee into the main draw of the AFC Champions League, with Lee Man and BC Rangers having to negotiate the qualifying round.

“The Champions League remains our target – it’s the biggest cup tournament in the region,” Ng said. “We can now start preparation without worrying too much.”

Lee Man owner Lee Man-yan said his club – founded only six years ago – had far less experience than Kitchee of such big occasions.

“We went ahead twice but could not hold on,” he said. “Kitchee have been champions on many occasions and that’s what put them above us. We will learn from the experience. We can play in the Champions League and will start strengthening the squad.”

Lee Man still have the Sapling Cup final to focus on, against Kwoon Chung Southern on May 20.

Rangers finished third after thrashing Wofoo Tai Po 5-1, overhauling Southern, who slipped up by losing 2-1 to Football Club. The match between Sham Shui Po and Eastern was suspended because of a flooded pitch and will be rescheduled.