Chelsea seal Premier League title after Michy Batshuayi winner sinks West Brom

Chelsea's rise back to the summit of English football is complete having sealed their fifth Premier League title crown after a 1-0 win over West Brom.

After Tottenham Hotspur's faint hopes of catching Antonio Conte's side were dashed with a defeat to West Ham United last Friday, the Blues have now regained their crown with two games of the season remaining – and a league and FA Cup double still in the offing.

A win on Monday night against Middlesbrough meant three points at the Hawthorns on Friday (12 May) would be enough to wrap up the title. It looked as if the champagne might be kept on ice for a couple more days as a frustrating game wore on until Michy Batshuayi, who has remained a peripheral figure at the club since his summer arrival from Marseille, bundled home the winner after 82 minutes.

Chelsea have been reborn under Conte, who becomes just the fourth manager in Premier League history to win the league in his first season in English football – following in the footsteps of Jose Mourinho, Carlo Ancelotti and Manuel Pellegrini.

The former Juventus and Italy manager arrived at Stamford Bridge with the club reeling after their worst season since 1996, finishing the 2015-16 campaign in 10<sup>th place and trophy-less.

A change in manager would prompt a change in fortunes, but the effects were not immediate. After defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal in September, Conte brought in a new formation that would place the club back on the road to success. His 3-4-3 formation reawakened the attacking trio of Pedro, Diego Costa and the uncontainable Eden Hazard after disappointing seasons last term, with the returning David Luiz thriving in the new set up.

Moving top of the Premier League in mid-November, Chelsea embarked on a record-breaking 13-game winning streak, unrelenting form which saw them sit six points clear at the summit on the final day of 2016.

Tottenham would end that winning run in early January with a victory at White Hart Lane and when Crystal Palace inflicted a surprise defeat on Chelsea in early April, it left Mauricio Pochettino's side waiting for another slip-up.

While suffering defeat at Old Trafford, Conte's side won five of their next six games to keep Spurs at arm's length, sealing the title at the Hawthorns.

With Hazard misfiring on the night, Conte turned to Batshuayi to offer something different as West Brom frustrated the visitors. Prior to tonight, the Belgium international had failed to score his previous 16 appearances in the league - all of which came from the bench.

But with eight minutes of the match remaining, the forgotten summer signing turned home Cesar Azpilicueta's cross to secure the vital win.