There we have it, Chelsea have made it ten wins in ten games, claiming 30 points from the last 30 available to them.
Few would have believed this run was coming when they were heavily beaten by Arsenal in September, but the west London club have been staggeringly good since Antonio Conte switched them to a 3-4-3 formation, and it’s hard to see any team ending this juggernaut-like run of victories.
Their beating of Sunderland at the Stadium of Light was by no means an easy one, with the Black Cats remaining stubborn for the 90 minutes, which was always to be expected when David Moyes named six defenders in his starting XI.
Alas, Conte got the result he wanted thanks to Cesc Fabregas’ goal, with the Spanish playmaker repaying the faith showed in him by his manager in recent weeks.
This cold night in the North East may be looked back on as a vital one in May, and here are FIVE pictures that summed it up…
Classy Chelsea
Some things are bigger than football, and Chelsea made a nice gesture before the game. Some of the Blues’ big players presented five-year-old Bradley Lowery, who is suffering from cancer, with a signed shirt in a touching moment.
Cesc-y beast
From being one of Chelsea’s forgotten men under Conte, Fabregas has really come back to the fore of late, making vital contributions for the Blues. Following assists against Manchester City and West Brom (although the latter was all about Diego Costa’s individual brilliance), the Spaniard had his shooting boots on at the Stadium of Light as he netted a cracking opener.
He was thrilled with the goal, too…
Two different tales…
Two new managers at their respective clubs at the start of the season, Conte and Moyes’ reigns thus far have been very different. While the Italian’s side are top of the tree, the Scot’s Black Cats are rock-bottom and looking one of the most likely teams to be in the bottom three come the end of the season.
Their facial expressions when they met on the touchline tell their stories…
Costa huffs and puffs…
Everything Diego Costa has touched has been turning to gold of late, but he had a somewhat frustrating 90 minutes against Sunderland. The Spaniard was his usual bustling self, and the picture above shows him challenging Jordan Pickford and Lamine Kone as he attempted to find his 13th league goal of the season.
Encouragingly for Chelsea, they managed a win without a Costa strike!
Christmas No.1
Chelsea’s win means that they are guaranteed to be top of the Premier League when we’re all tucking into our turkey on Christmas Day. Although being at the summit on 25 December actually means little, it’s a nice reward for the Blues, who have claimed the last 30 points available to them.