5 key games that won Chelsea the title

2. Arsenal 3-0 Chelsea (Sept. 24)

The most pivotal game of the Premier League season, but not for obvious reasons.

Sept. 24 will go down as one of the most embarrassing and shameful days in Chelsea’s recent history. However, losing this match at the expense of a sixth league trophy was worth it.

Antonio Conte and his Chelsea squad traveled to the Emirates Stadium following a loss to Liverpool at home. The Blues were looking to redeem themselves, but they did quite the opposite.

Chelsea suffered their single biggest loss of the season, a 3-0 defeat one of their most hated rivals. The loss ignited drastic changes within the squad, changes that came at halftime.

As a result of allowing three first-half goals, Conte made a formation change. Already having accepted defeat, Conte experimented with his preferred formation, the 3-4-3, in the second half. Marcos Alonso, who came on as a substitute for Cesc Fabregas, cemented his place in the starting XI for the rest of the season.

Success comes at the expense of some. Two Chelsea legends, Branislav Ivanovic and John Terry, permanently lost their spots in the starting XI, effectively ending their distinguished careers at Stamford Bridge. Three at the back meant Terry would need to beat out Azpilicueta, Luiz or Cahill. For a 36-year old, that task was nearly impossible. Ivanovic lost his spot at the back as well, making way for 26-year-old wing-back Victor Moses.

Chelsea played well in the new formation, despite not scoring in the second half. Chelsea played in the 3-4-3 formation for the next 32 weeks (assuming Conte sticks with the formation against Watford and Sunderland).

During that time, Chelsea matched Arsenal’s Premier League record for most consecutive wins and tallied one of the highest point totals in league history.