Chelsea didn’t need to break a sweat

In the beginning of the season, Chelsea went out guns blazing and notched four league wins between August and January in which they won by at least three goals. After that point, nearly all of their games were won by a one goal margin – as they realized that they could win the league without needing to drastically outscore the competition (or lack there of.) They didn’t need to score many goals provided they could keep a clean sheet or score just one more than the opposition– and this they did.

This was apparent in their recent match with fellow table high-flyers Arsenal. A game between two teams in the top four at this stage in the season should have been a hive of action and determination – but it wasn’t, because Chelsea knew they didn’t need it to be. They knew they could win the title early if they just parked the bus and stopped Arsenal from scoring – and so that’s what they did.

In many ways, Chelsea won the title by defending. It was efficient, but it wasn’t fancy (or overly entertaining to the neutrals.) To date, Chelsea scored more or less the same number of goals as their comrades in second and third place – but they’ve let in 6 goals less than Arsenal and nine goals less than Manchester City. This defensive stronghold allowed for a comfortable league win.