After the weekend’s defeat to Crystal Palace, many debated whether the Premier League title race was back open again as Chelsea’s advantage at the top was cut to just seven spots- with Tottenham Hotspur hopeful of overhauling that deficit.

Defeat at Stamford Bridge last night would have seen Spurs cut Chelsea’s lead to just four points but, more importantly, two consecutive Premier League defeats could well have knocked the stuffing out of Antonio Conte’s side.

The Blues have been coasting in the Premier League for a few months and the weekend’s defeat to Crystal Palace was a real wake-up call, which should have acted as a catalyst for Conte’s men to spring back into life.

Whilst the victory over Manchester City was far from Chelsea’s most convincing performance of the season, the fact that the Blues can win such a tough fixture without playing well is a real sign of Premier League champions.

Maintaining their seven-point advantage, and also shattering any remaining chances of the Citizens winning the Premier League this season, Chelsea have a commanding position ahead of the final eight games of the season and should be on course for success.

The Blues have a favourable run of fixtures between now and the end of the season, although they do face stern tests against the likes of Manchester United and Everton, but they shouldn’t drop too many points.

The fact that Tottenham need Chelsea to drop seven points, with Mauricio Pochettino’s side needing to also win their respective matches, means that Chelsea can afford to slip-up three times between now and the end of the season- which seems extremely unlikely.

Chelsea’s remaining fixtures include clashes with the likes of Bournemouth, Southampton and Sunderland, which should all be winnable matches, whilst Mauricio Pochettino’s Tottenham still have to play the likes of Arsenal and Manchester United.

If anything, the slip against Crystal Palace will have helped Chelsea as it came days before another Premier League clash- handing the Blued the opportunity to respond immediately, which they did.

Had the defeat come before the international break it could have been an entirely different story but it would take a massive collapse for Chelsea to concede their grip on the Premier League title now.

The Blues can now focus on keeping form and will eye further success, with an upcoming FA Cup semi-final clash with Spurs at Wembley, whilst Conte will also look to make a statement of intent ahead of the transfer window and next season.

All in all, it’s a good time to be a Chelsea fan and the performances of the Blues this season suggest Conte is building something truly special at Stamford Bridge.