Boro relegated as Blues close in on title
London, May 9: Cesc Fabregas sparkled as Chelsea moved to within touching distance of the Premier League title and condemned Middlesbrough to relegation with a breezy 3-0 home win.
Fabregas made sure Chelsea capitalised on Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 defeat at West Ham United on Friday by setting up goals for Diego Costa and Nemanja Matic, with Marcos Alonso also finding the net on Monday.
It left Chelsea seven points clear of Spurs at the summit and means they will be crowned champions for the second time in three seasons if they win at West Bromwich Albion on Friday.
“At this stage it was important to win and exploit Tottenham’s defeat,” said Chelsea manager Antonio Conte.
“Now, another step to the title. We have to rest well and prepare for West Brom. We must try in the next game to become champions.”
Should Chelsea fail to take maximum points at The Hawthorns, subsequent home games against Watford and relegated Sunderland mean Conte’s side have plenty of margin for error.
Fabregas has now assisted 10 or more goals in six different English topflight seasons — a record in the Premier League era.
Boro return to the Championship after one season back among the elite, joining Sunderland in sinking into the second tier just as fellow northeast side Newcastle United are celebrating their return to the top level.