Chapter 391: The Blue Triple Crown Dynasty!

After Manchester City lost to Chelsea in the 34th round of the Premier League, the tension they had been holding onto all season finally snapped.

Although Guardiola still wanted to cling to the last hope of overtaking Chelsea,

his players were clearly at the end of their rope after an exhausting and largely unsuccessful four-front campaign.

In Round 35, while Chelsea crushed Tottenham,

City stumbled against Stoke City’s set-piece tactics.

Substitute Peter Crouch sealed the game, towering over Mangala to head in the winning goal,

helping Stoke complete a 2–1 comeback victory away at Manchester City!

As Stoke erupted into celebrations,

Guardiola sat powerless and exhausted on the bench.

Now trailing Chelsea by six points despite having played one more match,

with only three games left,

City’s fate was effectively sealed.

Who could honestly believe Chelsea, in their terrifying late-season form,

would lose twice and hand City a miracle chance?

After that stunning loss,

City were clinging by their fingernails to the title race.

In Round 36, if Chelsea won again and City failed to,

Chelsea would officially clinch the Premier League title with two games to spare.

Even if City lost and Chelsea merely drew, it would still be enough.

But just like the past two seasons,

Chelsea refused to rely on other teams; they trusted their own strength.

After beating Atlético and refocusing on the league,

none of Chelsea’s players even mentioned the possibility of City slipping up elsewhere.

During three intense days of preparation,

they concentrated entirely on their upcoming opponent: Leicester City.

Leicester, to their immense credit, had produced an extraordinary campaign —

21 wins, 10 draws, 4 losses.

Given their modest summer spending,

losing only four times all season was already miraculous.

They had secured 73 points,

breaking the club’s single-season record.

With three games left, they even had a chance to cross the 80-point mark.

Leicester fans were ecstatic.

They never dreamed of a title —

finishing third and qualifying for the Champions League was already beyond their wildest hopes.

Next season, they would grace Europe’s greatest stage.

No one dared challenge Chelsea and City’s supremacy,

but Leicester’s fairytale had already been written.

Facing Chelsea, however,

Leicester’s players naturally lacked motivation.

They had little to gain from exhausting themselves in a near-hopeless battle.

There’s nothing shameful about human nature —

people are risk-averse creatures.

Why risk injury and fatigue in a fight you’re almost sure to lose?

Of course, some English media outlets still hyped up the possibility of Leicester pulling off a shock,

hoping to keep the title race alive.

On April 30th, with cameras and reporters everywhere,

Leicester arrived in London for their warm-up at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea’s squad arrived slightly later,

but the TV cameras caught them smiling and relaxed.

To better prepare for the second leg against Atlético,

Mourinho rotated heavily again.

The front three were completely changed,

Kroos was rested again,

and Li Ang and Matić anchored midfield alongside Van Ginkel.

At the back, Cahill and Kalas started.

Bertrand, just back from injury, was rushed into action.

Even Oblak was rested, with Begović starting in goal.

Looking closely,

only Li Ang, Matić, and Maguire from the usual starting lineup remained.

It was a bold gamble.

Leicester weren’t just any team — they were third in the league.

If Chelsea slipped up,

Mourinho would be torn apart by the media.

But that’s Mourinho for you.

He understood the risks —

and he still boldly made the call.

Back in their dressing room,

Leicester’s players were a little stunned upon receiving Chelsea’s starting XI.

Ranieri had rotated a few players too,

but compared to Chelsea’s sweeping changes, it seemed minor.

Leicester’s players couldn’t help but wonder:

maybe today was their chance to break Chelsea’s home unbeaten record?

Still, without Ranieri giving explicit orders,

they lined up conservatively as usual.

Winning the opening kickoff,

Li Ang immediately dropped deep after receiving the ball,

scanning Leicester’s defensive shape carefully.

Nominally starting as an attacking midfielder,

he often retreated into deeper midfield roles,

keeping Chelsea’s buildup organized and patient.

Seeing Kanté starting for Leicester,

Li Ang smartly avoided central traffic,

choosing instead to link up with the flanks.

After their experience facing Kanté earlier in the season,

Chelsea’s midfielders knew better now —

there was no shame in avoiding the French dynamo.

Mourinho had emphasized this pre-match:

don’t challenge Leicester’s crowded center —

attack through the wings instead.

And Chelsea, blessed with plenty of wide options,

were perfectly equipped for the task.

As Li Ang focused on orchestrating attacks through the center and repeatedly shifted the ball out to the wings, no matter how much Kanté could run, he simply couldn’t cover both flanks alone.

Chelsea’s wing attacks began to unfold steadily under this clever strategy of avoiding the strongest part of Leicester’s defense.

It just so happened that Salah was attacking Leicester’s slightly weaker left side.

Mahrez’s defensive work rate was visibly lower compared to his attacking teammates.

Facing the 30-year-old Fuchs one-on-one on the flank,

Salah’s confidence in beating him was sky-high.

No matter how much experience Fuchs had, or how solid his defensive choices were,

his lack of speed meant he was destined to struggle against Salah.

By the 20th minute,

Fuchs was already calling repeatedly for defensive help.

Although he wasn’t completely overrun, Leicester’s left side had clearly become their weak point.

Kanté began shifting his defensive focus toward the left,

but Leicester’s defensive imbalance didn’t escape Li Ang’s sharp eyes.

In the 24th minute,

Kalas won a one-on-one challenge against Mahrez on the right wing and swept the ball centrally.

Matić advanced quickly to collect,

then threaded a sharp diagonal pass toward Li Ang’s feet.

Positioned slightly toward the right,

Li Ang immediately spotted Salah making a run down the wing,

hand raised, signaling for a through ball.

Kanté abandoned his plan to retreat with Drinkwater,

instead charging straight at Li Ang to try and cut off the connection.

But Li Ang’s next move stunned Leicester’s defense.

After a brief adjustment,

he fired a fast, low pass diagonally to his left — just before Kanté could intercept!

And there was Gnabry —

previously quiet, now bursting forward like a cheetah!

He sprinted past Danny Simpson effortlessly,

making the 29-year-old right-back painfully aware of the years catching up to him.

Pure speed — no tricks, no hesitation.

Gnabry latched onto the ball behind Leicester’s defense,

took a touch,

and immediately lofted a cross into the center of the penalty area.

Llorente, charging forward ferociously, powered a header toward goal!

But Schmeichel, like a man possessed,

dived full stretch and miraculously saved it with one hand!

The ball rebounded loose,

and Li Ang, arriving with his long legs, got there a step ahead of Drinkwater.

Surrounded by defenders,

Li Ang calmly slid the ball to the right side of the box!

Waiting there — Salah.

He adjusted his stride and curled a beautiful shot toward the far corner!

The ball wasn’t hit with terrifying speed,

but the curve was magnificent!

Schmeichel, already exhausted from his previous save,

leapt desperately again —

but this time luck wasn’t on his side.

The ball arched gracefully over his outstretched fingers,

nestling into the top left corner of the net!

Stamford Bridge erupted into a thunderous wave of celebration!

Salah grinned brightly, pointing toward Li Ang.

Li Ang, laughing, ruffled Salah’s hair affectionately,

then threw his arm over his teammate’s shoulder as they sprinted to the corner flag to celebrate!

The crowd in the stands exploded,

chanting, hugging, roaring —

then breaking into song:

“We’re winning the treble!”

Mourinho, though thrilled,

still signaled calmly from the sidelines for his players to stay composed.

After the celebrations finally subsided,

every Chelsea starter returning to position received encouragement from Li Ang.

Reminded by both their coach and their captain,

Chelsea’s players quickly cooled their emotions and reset their defensive shape.

Ranieri, on Leicester’s side, had initially considered trying a surprise attack,

but after falling behind, he discarded that idea entirely.

Indecision in critical moments had always been one of his flaws.

Now, his players, seeing no clear tactical signals from the bench, lost all motivation to fight.

There would be no desperate battle.

Leicester effectively accepted defeat after the first goal.

Even after halftime,

Leicester’s resistance was tepid.

Mourinho, sensing it, ordered Chelsea to ease off the attack, conserve energy.

Only after Vardy’s introduction in the 67th minute did Leicester stir a little,

mounting a brief offensive wave.

But Chelsea capitalized —

hitting back with lethal counters.

In the 76th minute,

Suárez — subbed on earlier — latched onto Li Ang’s exquisite diagonal ball,

and smashed a volley into the net!

2–0!

From that point,

Chelsea dropped into full defensive mode.

Leicester’s players soon gave up pressing hard.

The match ended 2–0 —

Chelsea achieving their pre-match target without any extra complications.

And after the final whistle,

none of the Chelsea players rushed to celebrate.

Instead, they sprinted toward the bench —

toward assistant coach Holland.

Holland, refreshing live updates on his phone,

finally leapt into the air with a scream:

“Southampton drew 2-2 with Manchester City! It’s over — we’re champions!!!”

Before he even finished,

Chelsea’s players burst apart in wild joy,

sprinting onto the pitch in ecstatic celebration!

The fans, realizing what was happening,

exploded into another roar.

Mourinho, Holland, and Rui Faria hugged tightly, spinning in circles.

Li Ang, after a bear hug with Matić,

was suddenly tackled by Hazard jumping onto his back,

shouting in his ear:

“Boss! We did it! We won the treble!”

Li Ang laughed heartily,

slapping Hazard’s back,

then turned toward the stands,

raising his fists in triumph!

They had done it.

They had built a blue dynasty in the Premier League!