By CARL SETTERLUND
Chelsea hasn’t quite clinched the Barclays Premier League title just yet, but with a 3-1 victory over Leicester City on Wednesday, the Blues moved just one result away.
Didier Drogba tallied for Chelsea in the first half, while John Terry and Ramires scored in the 79th and 83rd minutes to send Jose Mourinho’s side to the full three points.
Chelsea now sits at 80 points through 34 matches. Second-place Manchester City, at 67 points through 34 games, was officially eliminated from title contention, leaving only Arsenal — with 67 points, but with five games remaining — still technically alive in the title race. The Blues also claimed an important result last weekend, holding Arsenal to a 0-0 draw at the Emirates.
This would be Chelsea’s first Premier League title since 2010, while they could also still become the first team since Manchester United in 2009 to reach the 90-point threshold.
Chelsea will look to officially clinch the league title on Sunday at Stamford Bridge against Crystal Palace. The game will be broadcast at 8:30 a.m. on NBC Sports.
Elsewhere in Europe, Carlos Tevez scored a brace to put Juventus one win away from clinching the Serie A title, while Real Madrid took down Almeria to keep pace two points behind Barcelona with four matches left in the La Liga season.
Here are a few other news stories from around the soccer world:
BAYERN MUNICH CEO PREDICTS LEWANDOWSKI’S QUICK RETURN
When word came down that Bayern Munich striker Robert Lewandowski suffered a broken upper jaw and a concussion during a stoppage time collision on Tuesday, the club’s English twitter account tweeted that “It doesn’t get much worse than that.”
Somebody apparently forgot to spread the sentiment to Bayern Munich CEO Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, who said he is still expecting Lewandowski to play in next week’s UEFA Champions League semifinal first leg against Barcelona next Wednesday.
“That will be the case – I am pretty convinced of it,” Rummenigge said. “He will have an individual mask made and that should ensure he will play against Barcelona.”
Bayern manager Pep Guardiola, having already used all three substitutes, left a woozy Lewandowski on the field to finish out Tuesday’s penalty shootout loss against Borussia Dortmund.
“Our hope is that he can at least make the squad on Wednesday,” Rummenigge said. “Our doctors are working day and night to make this possible.”
GREGORY MERTENS’ CONDITION WORSENS
After collapsing on Monday during a reserve-team friendly, it appears Belgian defender Gregory Mertens’ condition is getting worse, according to BBC Sport.
The 24-year-old Mertens, who plays for Jupiler Pro League club Lokeren, is now reportedly in critical condition and is in a medically-induced coma on a life support machine.
“His situation has deteriorated,” said a Lokeren spokesperson. “We are waiting for the worst news to come.”
Lokeren said it still does not know the exact heart condition Mertens suffers from, but that he passed all the preseason health tests required by UEFA.
What was your reaction to today’s matches? What did you think of Rummenigge’s comments about Lewandowski? What’s your reaction to the news about Mertens?
Share your thoughts below.
Chelsea has dominated EPL all year long. Why are we even surprised? They may clinch it with 3-4 games to spare, thanks to the wisdom and guidance of one of the best coaches in the world. Congratulations Jose Mourinho.
Wow, EPL is so exciting, with the title challenges completely resolved with 2 months left in the season.
You do know that the season ends in less than a month right? Not sure where you got the 2 months number from.
Most commentators have assumed that Chelsea had the title wrapped up, absent an extremely unlikely epic fail, for at least 3-4 weeks.
I know right. Why cant we be more like the other European Leagues like Germany (Bayern), Netherlands (Eindhoven), Italy (Juventus), Grece (Olympioakos), Belarus, Kazakhstan, Bosnia, Latvia, Ireland, Wales, Northern Ireland, Estonia who all wait until the last game to decide their champions or the countless other countries that will also clinch 1st this coming weekend.
I think your but hurts. Here some Aleve.
Exactly why the American concept of playoffs to determine a championship is much more interesting.