Chelsea have been crowned Premier League champions for the fifth time, after substitute Michy Batshuayi struck an 82nd-minute winner against West Brom at The Hawthorns.
For most of this match it seemed as if the Blues would need to wait until at least Sunday to reclaim their top-flight crown, but super-sub Batshuayi scrambled off the bench to net only his second Premier League goal of the season.
Before this game, the 23-year-old Frenchman had mustered only 109 top-flight minutes in 17 appearances this season, but he made sure that he will be remembered for more than mere cameos by scoring the goal that brings a season of Chelsea dominance to a worthy close.
The Blues huffed and puffed on the night, but were rewarded for their persistence by scoring with their 23rd shot of the match as Batshuayi finished off from Cesar Azpilicueta’s cutback. Interestingly, this is the third season in a row that a Belgian has scored the title-winning goal.
For most of the night they were frustrated: in the second half, Eden Hazard saw a deflected cross agonisingly saved off the line after he’d rounded Ben Foster and put in a menacing ball, which hit two players before being stopped by substitute Claudio Yacob.
But all’s well that ends well, and Chelsea are top-flight champions for the sixth time in their history.
Meanwhile, Everton claimed a narrow victory over Watford after playing out to a 1-0 win at Goodison Park, courtesy of a 56th minute goal by Ross Barkley.
-This story originally appeared on FourFourTwo.com