Chelsea are having to keep the champagne on ice until Friday's game against West Brom, but they can basically start calling themselves champions.

A comprehensive victory over Middlesbrough means Antonio Conte's side need just three points from their remaining three games to mathematically seal the title.

Tottenham's 1-0 defeat to West Ham seemed a vital moment in the race, though realistically, it was always going to be difficult for Mauricio Pochettino's men to catch the Blues regardless of that result.

In fact, it's fair to say that had Spurs not put together an incredible run of nine league wins in a row, Chelsea's triumph would never have been in doubt.

From the revival of Eden Hazard to David Luiz's sudden realisation of how to defend, there are plenty of factors behind Chelsea's dominance.

And despite retaining largely the same group of players, the squad looks almost unrecognisable from the side that finished 10th last season.

Perhaps last season's woeful campaign has taught them a few lessons. The most obvious change at Stamford Bridge is the one in the dugout, and it's no secret that Jose Mourinho was not seeing eye to eye with his players by the end of his tenure.

Thibaut Courtois has admitted that the problems the club faced last term have had an impact, but it's just going to make this year's imminent success even sweeter.

An even bigger achievement 

“It’s hard to say because obviously in the first year I came here, I came from winning the league in Spain and straight away won the league here too, so that was very nice," the goalkeeper told talkSPORT.

“But this year was maybe even more special, because last year was a very bad year.

"We had a lot of critics, the new manager came in at the beginning of the season, we won some games but then we lost and there were again a lot of critics.

“But then we bounced back as a team very hard and we played very well.

“From that point of view I think it’s very nice to hopefully be able to lift that Premier League title soon.

“I know we’re not there yet, but we’re very close and it will be very enjoyable after last year.”

As Courtois points out, it's remarkable to think that Conte had his doubters earlier in the season. The Italian came under pressure in September after consecutive defeats to Liverpool and Arsenal, prompting his switch to a 3-4-3.

It now looks almost certain that the former Juventus boss will silence his critics by landing the title in his very first season.

Is this a better Chelsea side than the one that won the league in 2015? Have your say in the comments.