Leicester City crowned English Premier League champions

Foxes pull off a miracle after Chelsea come from two goals down to hold second-placed Tottenham.

File photograph of Vardy celebrating with Mahrez after scoring the first goal for Leicester City during their English Premier League soccer match against Newcastle United
Leicester winger Riyad Mahrez won the PFA player of the year trophy last week [File:Reuters]

Leicester City have won the English Premier League title after closest rivals Tottenham Hotspur blew a two-goal lead to draw at last season’s winners Chelsea.

Monday’s result meant second-placed Tottenham will not be able to overtake Leicester City, who have a seven-point lead at the top.

Leicester on path to achieve ultimate football fairytale

Tottenham’s two-goal advantage came courtesy of first-half goals from Harry Kane and Son Heung-min but Chelsea pulled a goal back just before the hour-mark with a Gary Cahill strike from a corner.

A late equaliser from Eden Hazard sealed the draw, and the title for Leicester City who fought off relegation last season.

With two games left for both sides, Tottenham need three points to secure second place.

A bad-tempered game at Stamford Bridge produced a rash of yellow cards while several players were lucky to stay on the pitch as tempers boiled over at full-time.

The game ended with scuffles between Tottenham players and staff and their Chelsea counterparts.

But the scenes at Stamford Bridge were secondary to those in Leicester, where thousands of fans had gathered to watch the match across the city.

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Leicester City fans took to the streets late on Monday evening to celebrate the achievement, with children among them waving flags and scarves to celebrate the team’s first title in its 132-year history.

Hundreds of supporters gathered to celebrate the title at Leicester’s King Power Stadium, where the team will lift the trophy after their penultimate league game against Everton.


READ MORE: Leicester makes the world belive


Al Jazeera’s Lee Wellings, reporting from Leicester, said he had “quite simply never seen anything like this” as he was mobbed by celebrating fans.

The champions began their ascent in 2009 when they won English football’s third-tier League One and second-tier Championship in 2014.

Leicester City began the season as 5,000/1 outsiders but the run of form that saved them from the drop last season showed no signs of ending.

The Foxes became the first club to win a maiden league title since Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest in 1978.

Leicester City were 5,000/1 favourites to win the league at the start of the season [Lee Wellings/Al Jazeera] [Eddie Keogh Livepic/Reuters]
Leicester City were 5,000/1 favourites to win the league at the start of the season [Lee Wellings/Al Jazeera] [Eddie Keogh Livepic/Reuters]
Source: Al Jazeera

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