On the Verge of Greatness…

…or on the verge of the most monumental collapse in Premiership history. Chelsea need just one more point to secure back-to-back Premiership titles. It just so happens that the next match, the final home game of the season, is against Manchester United, who would dearly love to spoil our party.

Unfortunately, after spending six hours online trying to obtain a ticket for the game as soon as they were offered for sale, I was unlucky, so I shall be watching this from the comfort of my sofa. Last year I was at the Bridge to see Chelsea collect the trophy for the first time in 50 years following a 1-0 victory against Charlton. That was a magnificent moment, but tomorrow would possibly even eclipse that historic day, if Chelsea are to win or draw against Fergie & Co. Pairs of tickets are now apparently exchanging hands for £1000 or more.

It might have been an even better occasion if a sub-par Chelsea hadn’t been knocked out of the FA Cup by a Liverpool team on a fantastic run of results on Saturday. It’s taken me almost a week to get around to writing about it as last weekend’s semi-final defeat was so bitterly disappointing. Despite several players being below their excellent best and despite Mourinho’s over-cautious formation, Chelsea were still the better side. In the end, like last year’s European Champions League semi-final versus the same opponents, poor refereeing decisions made the ultimate difference between the teams. And in both cases, last-gasp, gilt-edged chances were missed, last year by Eidur Gudjohnsen, this year by Joe Cole. But it remains a fact that Liverpool have only beaten Chelsea twice in the abnormally high number of ten meetings during the past two seasons, both times with a degree of fortune.

If John Terry should lift the Premiership trophy aloft tomorrow, it will be more than just a huge consolation, it will be a confirmation that the established order has been shifted towards the boys in blue from West London on a more permanent basis.