Premier League | Chelsea blank Middlesbrough to close in on crown

Chelsea dominated the game throughout and should have taken the lead as early as the second minute when Marcus Alonso’s shot was saved by Brad Guzan. That, however, set the tone for the rest of the game. 

With Fabregas pulling the strings in midfield, it was only a matter of time before Chelsea broke through, and Diego Costa gave the home side a deserved lead in the 23rd minute, slotting the ball between Guzan’s feet. 

Alonso doubled the would-be champions' lead 10 minutes later, when he powered in a shot from a tight angle via a deflection off Guzan.

The second half followed the same pattern as Chelsea continued to toy with Middlesbrough. Fabregas played in Nemanja Matic in the 65th minute and the Serbian sealed the three points for Chelsea with a shot that went through the goalkeeper’s legs.

Results:

Chelsea 3 Middlesbrough 0