London--Having seemingly been promised to them all season, the Premier League title will be within Chelsea's grasp on Sunday when they host Crystal Palace needing three points to become champions.
While the free-flowing football of the autumn has faded, Chelsea have unquestionably been the season's stand-out team and their coronation is now only a question of time.
It is five years since they last won the title and the circumstances then were quite different, with a side steered by Carlo Ancelotti eviscerating Wigan Athletic 8-0 at Stamford Bridge on the campaign's final day to set a new Premier League scoring record of 103 goals in a season.
The current Chelsea team have faced accusations that they are 'boring' over the past few weeks, following a run of seven wins by a single-goal margin and three draws.
But as manager Jose Mourinho has pointed out, they have won more games (24), been beaten fewer times (twice) and kept more clean sheets (16) than any other team, while only reigning champions Manchester City have out-scored them (70 to 68).
It has seen the League Cup-winners open up a 13-point gap over closest rivals City and Arsenal and Mourinho now just wants his players to finish the job.
"We need two or three points to be champions. Let's say three to make sure we don't depend on goal difference," he told his pre-match press conference.
"We need a victory or we need three points with three draws. Obviously we want to finish as soon as possible. If we can do it at home, better. If we can do it on Sunday, even better. That's what we have in our minds."
Twelve years on from Roman Abramovich's purchase of the club, Chelsea continue to lag behind traditional heavyweights Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal in terms of overall league titles won.
But while a fifth league crown would leave them still well short of United's record of 20, it would also be their 13th major trophy in 11 years, which no other English team can match.
AFP
