Over the weekend Chelsea took another massive step to securing their first title for five years.
Son of a Pitch
The visit of an on fire Manchester United had been touted as a potential stumbling block for the Londoners in their pursuit of glory, especially when you consider that closest chasers Arsenal would not be playing due to FA Cup commitments at Wembley.
Louis Van Gaals side came into the game at Stamford Bridge off an electric run of form having won five of their last five, including a 4-2 demolition of their neighbours in the Manchester Derby, while Chelsea had only just managed to scrape together four extremely narrow wins and a draw in the same period.
After making all the early running, Manchester United found themselves behind all too suddenly when a fantastically swift and crisp move set Eden Hazard in on goal, before finishing with aplomb right between the legs of Red Devil keeper David De Gea. From then on in Chelsea were happy to sit back and invite United forward, reverting to the tried and tested Mourinho strategy of parking the bus.
Eventually, after what must have felt like an eternity for Chelsea fans, they came out the other end unscathed, and more importantly, with the three points in hand.
While it most certainly can be said that Mourinhos side have looked shaky over the last month and a bit, they have somehow managed to keep picking up maximum points.
The true mark of a champion side is the ability to win games, from difficult situations, on days when you are not at your best, and the Blues have shown that ability by the bucket load of late.
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Each and every one of their last 5 wins have been by one goal margins, four of which were against teams in the bottom half of the table.
The last few months have been plagued with nervous moments for Blues fans, as their team time and time again makes hard work of earning the three points, but somehow, every time they have managed to pull it out of the hat to win, and they continue to march onwards towards the title Their next challenge is possibly their biggest and most important of the season.
Chelsea travel to the Emirates stadium where an immensely confident Arsenal side lie in wait for them. The Gunners, having just qualified for consecutive FA Cup finals, and with their last loss coming on the 7th of February, are in the form of their lives, and will spy a rare chance to make up some vital ground on leaders Chelsea.
While the gap between the two at the moment is a mammoth ten points, a convincing Arsenal win may just be the catalyst for a Chelsea collapse, especially when you consider Chelsea recent indifferent form. It would however have to be the most remarkable and monumental of collapses for Chelsea to lose it still.
Mourinho, despite his lofty and comfortable position will not be willing to give any ground. The last time these two met, there was just as much action off the field as on when both managers were heavily fined for a nasty touchline spat.
The Chelsea manager will know only too well the importance of this game. If Chelsea win they will go thirteen points ahead, and with only five games left in the season, they might as well start engraving their name on the trophy.
Twitter @Thesonofapitch
