Chelsea Push Closer to Premier League Title with Win as Middlesbrough Relegated

Chelsea took a major stride towards Premier League glory as they defeated Middlesbrough 3-0 at Stamford Bridge on Monday.

The result sees Middlesbrough join Sunderland in relegation, and both teams will feature in the EFL Championship next season.

Diego Costa and Marcos Alonso gave the Blues a deserved 2-0 lead at half-time, and Nemanja Matic scored a third in the second half.

Chelsea just need to beat West Bromwich Albion in their next fixture to be crowned as champions.

Blues coach Antonio Conte made one change to his lineup as he drafted in Cesc Fabregas for N'Golo Kante.

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Boro promoted Adama Traore to the starting XI, but the exciting talent failed to make an impression at the Bridge.

Chelsea were quickly out of the traps, and Boro were almost a goal down in the opening moments after Alonso's volley hit the woodwork—and it appeared early on it would be a night of damage limitation for the visitors.

The hosts were dominant as Fabregas pulled the strings, and the Spaniard's lofted pass led to his team's opener after 23 minutes which was slotted away by Costa.

OptaJoe highlighted Costa's influence this season:

It took the league leaders only 11 minutes to add as second, with the rampant Alonso rewarded for his attacking endeavour.

The wing-back latched on to Cesar Azpilicueta's assist, and he drilled the ball home from an acute angle—to the delight of his manager, team-mates and home supporters.

Paddy Power paid Alonso a compliment for his forward-thinking play:

Chelsea were comfortable at half-time, and Boro appeared a beaten entity with little going forward and no penetration through midfield.

Whoscored.com provided player ratings during the interval:

The Blues repeated their form in the second half as they marauded forward with ruthless intent.

Progressively moving upfield, Chelsea put the game to bed after 65 minutes as Matic claimed a rare goal for Conte's men.

Fabregas was once again the architect after linking with Eden Hazard, and it was left to the defensive midfielder to slot the ball home with consummate ease.

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Hazard was brought off to conserve his energy for the run-in, and the Belgian largely operated around the fringes of the match as Fabregas was the man of the match.

Sports correspondent Tom Williams highlighted the jubilance of the home fans:

The Blues were in cruise control in the final 15 minutes as Boro went through the motions, desperate not to concede more.

The visitors were a sorry proposition on the night and no match for a team motivated to win silverware.

John Terry made a cameo appearance in the final minutes from the bench, giving fans the chance to hail their captain and leader.

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Chelsea are destined to be crowned champions in the coming days, and Costa and Hazard have redeemed themselves after a poor season last term.

Conte has given the Blues a set of tactics they can thrive under, and Chelsea have proved they are currently the best team in England by a significant margin.