West Ham United 1-2 Chelsea
Ten points clear, 11 football games remaining, no wonder sports betting is virtually ready to call off the title race.
Yes, there are still potentially twists and turns galore, but this victory at the London Stadium means Chelsea are firmly on course for a second title in three seasons.
As soon as Diego Costa doubled their advantage five minutes after the restart, the only question in Premier League betting was how wide the winning margin would be.
This was considered one of their toughest tests remaining.
Yet, Antonio Conte’s men were toying with their hosts long before the end.
They had lost on their last two visits to West Ham – in the EFL Cup in October this season and in this fixture last season.
Yet, that was a West Ham side with Dimitri Payet; that was a West Ham side playing at Upton Park.
Now without either – and with top scorer Michail Antonio suspended – there was always a feeling the Hammers could get picked off by the clinical visitors as they continue to adapt to their new surroundings.
And so it proved.
Eden Hazard slotted home midway through an even first half in a clinical counter-attack, started by the unsung hero of their campaign N’Golo Kante.
When Diego Costa bundled home the second from a deflected Hazard corner, the momentum was all in dark blue.
West Ham battled but the swagger of last season has disappeared, a combination of the absence of Antonio, the departure of Payet and their failure to settle quickly in their new home.
Manuel Lanzini drilled home in stoppage time to give the battling hosts hope, but it was too late.
Conte saluted the visiting fans as they gleefully sang ‘we’re going to win the league’.
With this quality, organisation, and no European exertions, it’s hard to argue.
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