Chelsea are now just one win away from the Premier League title, and they could do it as early as Friday night.
The Blues have gone seven clear at the top with just three games left to play, after a dominant 3-0 win against Middlesbrough, whose relegation to the Sky Bet Championship was officially confirmed.
Despite Boro showing tremendous fight in recent weeks, they went down with a whimper at Stamford Bridge, completely outclassed by worthy champions-elect.
There were barely 90 seconds on the clock when Marcos Alonso's low drive was flicked onto the crossbar by Brad Guzan, and Chelsea could have been out of sight by the time Diego Costa put them ahead on 23 minutes.
Cesc Fabregas's passes had been causing havoc, and eventually it produced an end-result, Costa taking the ball down inside the area, before nutmegging Brad Guzan.
Guzan had kept Middlesbrough competitive on the scoresheet, but he'll be disappointed with the second goal 10 minutes later. Cesar Azpilicueta played in Marcos Alonso, and his low-driving cross was deflected inside of Guzan's legs.
Cesc Fabregas is the 1st player to have 10+ assists in 6 different PL seasons, moving clear of Ryan Giggs & Wayne Rooney, who were also on 5 pic.twitter.com/miMdeja6uP
— Sky Sports Statto (@SkySportsStatto) May 8, 2017
Even with the game sewn up, the Chelsea pressure remained relentless in the second half, and Nemanja Matic made it 3-0 on 65 minutes, nutmegging Guzan for the third time in the game.
For Boro, it means a swift return to the Championship following their north-east rivals Sunderland, and watching their other neighbours Newcastle pass them on the trip down.
Chelsea now need just one win from their final three games to become league champions for the sixth time in their history, and tick off the first box in their league and cup double attempt.
That win could come as soon as Friday night, when Antonio Conte brings his side to the Hawthorns to take on West Brom.
