Chelsea In Pole Position for Premier League Title

Chelsea are now in pole position in the race for the Premier League title this season following their 3-1 win over Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Saturday and with Liverpool losing to Bournemouth to drop points when they were expected to come out on top.

The victory in Manchester brought up Chelsea’s eight consecutive wins in the league and it came with a stunning performance from Antonio Conte’s side who have been on this run ever since the Blues boss switched to a 3-4-3 formation.

Chelsea FC midfielder Cesc Fabregas" (CC BY 2.0) by Ben Sutherland

Although the result against City won’t decide the title race, it certainly gives the West London club a real boost, winning in their rivals’ backyard, while at the same time it helps them to extend their lead at the top of the standings to three points.

The bookmakers were quick to react to the weekend’s results as they now make Chelsea the 6/5 favourites in the bet365 Premier League betting for the title this season, where they top the market ahead of Manchester City who have drifted out to 3/1, while Liverpool can be backed at 4/1.

Diego Costa proved why he is so important to Chelsea with his performance against City. Not only did he level the scoreline after Gary Cahill’s own goal in the first-half, the Spain international was a real handful all afternoon. He had a big hand in the Blues’ second goal as he played a perfectly weighted ball for Willian to run onto before the Brazilian beat Claudio Bravo in the hosts’ goal.

Chelsea FC (and Spain) striker Diego Cos" (CC BY 2.0) by Ben Sutherland

Costa now has 11 goals for the campaign in the Premier League and is on course for his best ever tally for the club since signing from Atletico Madrid in 2014. Conte will need his striker to stay fit and avoid any suspensions this season as he does not have too many options to lead the line in the way his leading talisman does.

The return to form of Eden Hazard has also been a key part of Chelsea’s success this season. The Belgian was criticised for a number of lacklustre displays last season, particularly in the opening half of the campaign when the Blues were struggling in the bottom half of the table.

There was even talk of the player leaving the club last summer, however, Conte was keen to retain his services and he is now reaping the rewards.

Liverpool will be very disappointed to throw away a 3-1 advantage on Sunday against Bournemouth. The Reds were in complete control of the game with less than half an hour to play before goals from Ryan Fraser, Callum Wilson and Nathan Ake gave the home side an unlikely 4-3 victory.

The Merseyside club have just picked up four points from their last three games to hand over the advantage to Chelsea. Jurgen Klopp’s men are now third in the table as Arsenal have overtaken them following the Gunners’ 5-1 win in the London derby against West Ham.

Arsenal have qualified into the last 16 of the Champions League, however, Chelsea have no European football to worry about this season therefore they can concentrate on the Premier League and the FA Cup where they have been drawn to face either Peterborough or Notts County in the third round.