Fansided

5 key games that won Chelsea the title

By Gabe Henderson

LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 26: A Chelsea flag is waved during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on November 26, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
LONDON, ENGLAND - NOVEMBER 26: A Chelsea flag is waved during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur at Stamford Bridge on November 26, 2016 in London, England. (Photo by Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images) /
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Chelsea’s Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 3, 2016. / AFP / Paul ELLIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images)
Chelsea’s Belgian midfielder Eden Hazard celebrates scoring his team’s third goal during the English Premier League football match between Manchester City and Chelsea at the Etihad Stadium in Manchester, north west England, on December 3, 2016. / AFP / Paul ELLIS / RESTRICTED TO EDITORIAL USE. No use with unauthorized audio, video, data, fixture lists, club/league logos or ‘live’ services. Online in-match use limited to 75 images, no video emulation. No use in betting, games or single club/league/player publications. / (Photo credit should read PAUL ELLIS/AFP/Getty Images) /

4. Manchester City 1-3 Chelsea (Dec. 3)

During the Summer, Chelsea were one of the three clubs fighting for the signature of Pep Guardiola. The Spaniard snubbed Chelsea and Manchester United to join Manchester City, leaving United to hire Mourinho and Chelsea to hire Conte (not bad backup options, huh?).

Following a 2-1 win at the Bridge over Spurs, Chelsea met the man who snubbed them, for the first time at the Etihad. Previously, Manchester City had spent eight weeks at the top of the table, the spot which now belonged to Chelsea.

For a second straight week, Chelsea saw themselves involved in a feud with a club who’d had several red cards issued against them in previous meetings. And once again, Chelsea found themselves trailing thanks to an own-goal by Gary Cahill.

The Blues found themselves behind heading into the locker room at halftime for the first time since the formation change. How would Conte’s squad respond after a first half in which they looked significantly outmatched? Quite well.

Diego Costa equalized for Chelsea on the hour mark, and the team grew in confidence from there. Willian, who had come on as an unusually early substitute for Conte, scored the go-ahead goal just 10 minutes later.

Eden Hazard scored the game’s final goal in the 90th minute to put Chelsea ahead 3-1. Chelsea, for a second consecutive week, came back from a 1-0 deficit. The Blues’ win was their eighth in a row as Conte’s side received a much-needed break, not squaring off with another top-six club for five more weeks.

Chelsea’s win over City marked the end of their hardest stretch throughout the season, a stretch in which Chelsea faced all six of the other top seven clubs in a 10 week span. The win gave the Blues momentum heading forward and instilled confidence in a squad who still had much to prove.

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