Man City draw all-but hands Chelsea Premier League title
Published:
Manchester City came away from Stamford Bridge with one point, but should have collected all three after threatening Chelsea for much of their supposed title-decider in west London.
That the Blues managed to scrape a draw out of the match is a testament to their will and desire under Jose Mourinho this season.
Thought to be playing far more attractively than usual, this was a much more classical performance from the Portuguese’s side in what was a huge game in the fight for the Premier League crown.
Escaping unscathed despite being the inferior side retains Chelsea’s five-point advantage over Manuel Pellegrini’s men and leaves them well-fancied by Ladbrokes in the title betting, at 2/11.
The Londoners are sure to view their remaining league games with great confidence, with only a trip to Arsenal likely to cause any concern from the remaining away days and the visit of Manchester United the most testing home fixture.
While those two games follow each other in quick succession in April, the fact that City still have to go to Liverpool, United and Tottenham should ease any concerns about potential slip ups.
Securing a point against their closest rivals without their two best players only adds further evidence to the case that this is now Chelsea’s title. The side will surely be capable of beating the majority of the league without Diego Costa and Cesc Fabregas if they can earn a point against City shorn of their services.
The return of the Champions League could throw a spanner into Chelsea’s works, but the quality of the squad available to Mourinho, which now has Fiorentina’s Juan Cuadrado among it, should ensure that a battle on two major fronts is easily sustainable.
All Odds and Markets are correct as of the date of publishing.
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