At the final whistle, John Terry punched the air. Chelsea’s players celebrated wildly on the pitch. The title isn’t won yet – and nor can it be won in Leicester City on Wednesday – but it will be won soon enough. Chelsea’s lead is still 10 points and two wins will be enough to secure the crown. In reality, Chelsea could have lost at Arsenal and it would have made little difference to the run-in.
So clear has been Chelsea’s domination that this became a game of vague future themes. Could Arsenal mount a serious challenge next season? Will Arsene Wenger, having failed now in 13 attempts, ever beat Jose Mourinho? Could Chelsea have the league wrapped up before the end of the month?
The only question to which there was a definitive answer was the last one. Arsenal, certainly, were more competitive than they often have been against Chelsea, controlling the ball in the first half and opting for a more reactive approach in the second. When Wenger removed Francis Coquelin for Danny Welbeck with 13 minutes remaining, it seemed an attacking move weirdly out of keeping with the rest of the game. By then both sides appeared quite happy with a point. Arsenal slipped to second with the draw, but they are level on points with Manchester City and have a game in hand.
There were fewer chances than there were penalty appeals, at least one of which should have been taken seriously. Chelsea had three shouts in the first half: first Oscar collapsed after light pressure on his shoulder from Hector Bellerin, then David Ospina clattered into the Brazilian after he had knocked the ball past him, then Cesc Fabregas was booked for diving after flipping himself over following a clash of legs with Santo Cazorla. Michael Oliver turned all three down; with only the middle one was there any sense of a major error having been made. Against that Arsenal would counter that Gary Cahill handled a goal-bound Cazorla shot. He did, and his arm was raised as he lunged towards the ball, but he was so close to Cazorla it could hardly be deemed deliberate.
Ramires had a half-chance for Chelsea towards the end of the first half and a deflected Welbeck shot drew a sharp save from Thibaut Courtois, but there was so little goalmouth action, it was inevitable the controversies would provide the major talking points. It was all rather unsatisfactory, if predictable.
Arsenal, perhaps would draw encouragement from the way they competed. They may not have created many opportunities, but they restricted Chelsea in a way they rarely have in the past, even if that did mean four yellow cards in the closing minutes for stopping counter-attacks. There is evidence of a more pragmatic side emerging at the Emirates, although whether that is enough to make them realistic contenders next season remains to be seen. It is, after all, over eight hours since they last scored against Chelsea.
And at heart, there must be admiration for the obduracy of Chelsea. Mourinho has conceded that as his side have tired and as injuries have hit, his approach has become more “strategic” and that is what sets his side apart from their Premier League rivals. When Chelsea are struggling they still get points; they have a gamecraft others lack, a capacity to kill games.
It may not be glamorous – and it may be that their fans and directors would rather recall the more expansive displays of the autumn – but Chelsea have won this title because they have dropped only eight points since New Year’s Day, when City pulled level with them at the top of the table.
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