'Tis the season to be a Chelsea supporter.

Three points ahead of Manchester City by December 25, and just about every record is backing you to claim a fourth Barclays Premier League title:

Jose Mourinho has won the title in each of the seven times he's been top at Christmas; twice at Porto, Chelsea and Inter Milan, and once at Real Madrid

Seven of the last 10 teams top by December 25 went on to win the Premier League

The three times Chelsea were top by Christmas, the title followed in May

Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas shoots to score his team's second goal against Stoke City on Monday night

Fabregas slides in celebration as Chelsea moved top of the Premier League by three points on Monday night

Eden Hazard celebrates the win as he and Fabregas caused havoc against Stoke on Monday night

History is on their side but records are there to be broken, as the cliché goes.

When Chelsea were top by December 25 in 2004, they were five points clear. In 2005, nine. In 2009, four. Their three now is as fine a margin they've cut. Those royal blue eyes blinked once against Newcastle United, they could do so again.

But first, the numbers that divide them: Chelsea’s 42 points to City’s 39. Chelsea’s +25 goal difference to their +22. The latter acting as Mourinho's cushion, for now.

Then to the obscure categories: chances created, dribbles attempted, distance covered, tackles, passes, and saves, among others.

These we now have since Opta was born 11 years ago. They unearth the kind of gems us statistical geeks crave. Cesc Fabregas, for example, has more assists in 16 Premier League games for Chelsea than Jack Wilshere has in his entire Arsenal career.

That’s 12 assists in 16 to Wilshere’s 11 in 95. The Spaniard is eight shy of the record (20), too, first set by his old pal Thierry Henry between 2002 and 2003.

MOST CHANCES CREATED 54 - Fabregas, Chelsea 52 - Downing, West Ham 47 - Tadic, Southampton 44 - Sanchez, Arsenal 43 - Sterling, Liverpool 43 - Hazard, Chelsea 42 - Eriksen, Tottenham 41 - Sigurdsson, Swansea 36 - Baines, Everton 35 - Gerrard, Liverpool Advertisement

MOST DRIBBLES ATTEMPTED 134 - Hazard, Chelsea 131 - Bolasie, Crystal Palace 113 - Sterling, Liverpool 99 - Montero, Swansea 98 - Sanchez, Arsenal 93 - Oxlade-Chamberlain, Arsenal 85 - Lamela, Tottenham 85 - Sissoko, Newcastle 75 - Aguero, Manchester City 72 - Mahrez, Leicester Advertisement

Fabregas (left) has created the most chances and Hazard (right) has the most dribbles in the Premier League

Fabregas's heat map against Stoke (left) and Hazard's heat map against Stoke (right) as Chelsea won 2-0

Arsene Wenger may not admit it, but he missed a trick in June. It is Fabregas who, having gone unwanted by the Frenchman, has created the most chances in the Premier League since leaving Barcelona (54).

'Cesc is Blue,' so the unfurled banners at Stamford Bridge say, and he is followed by West Ham's Stewart Downing (52), Southampton's Dusan Tadic (47), then Arsenal's Alexis Sanchez (44).

Liverpool's Raheem Sterling and Chelsea's Eden Hazard are among them, too (43).

The latter is proving every bit the Ballon d'Or nominee he is. Hazard has attempted the most dribbles in the Premier League (134), his latest resulting in a kicking from Phil Bardsley (pictured below). Well, that's one way to stop him.

Sanchez, again, represents Arsenal (98). It epitomises that unfortunate oh, so Arsenal way. There or thereabouts; always the bridesmaid, never the bride.

Stoke's Phil Bardsley committed this crunch tackle on Hazard on Monday night to stop the Chelsea winger

MOST DISTANCE COVERED (IN KM) 195.5 - Livermore, Hull 193.6 - Ki, Swansea 190.7 - N'Zonzi, Stoke 188.9 - Fabregas, Chelsea 186.4 - Matic, Chelsea 186.3 - Colback, Newcastle 185.5 - Eriksen, Tottenham 184.5 - Janmaat, Newcastle 180.3 - Sigurdsson, Swansea 179.0 - Cresswell, West Ham Speed and distance data courtesy of the EA SPORTS Player Performance Index, Official Player Rating Index of the Premier League Advertisement

To the workhorses. It is Hull City's Jake Livermore that has covered the most distance in the Premier League (195.5km). His £8million club-record fee to Tottenham Hotspur being paid off in sweat at the KC Stadium apparently.

Next up, Swansea's Ki Sung-yueng (193.6) and Stoke's Steven N'Zonzi (190.7).

Then, Chelsea.

Fabregas (188.9) and Nemanja Matic (186.4) hog two of the top five distances covered in the Premier League.

The spine of champions? It would appear so. Neither Liverpool or Arsenal, nor either Manchester club, feature (right).

Tackles, too. Aside from Southampton right-back Nathaniel Clyne (73), showing why he is wanted by Manchester United and Liverpool, Matic is tied with Crystal Palace captain Mile Jedinak (62).

MOST TACKLES 73 - Clyne, Southampton 62 - Jedinak, Crystal Palace 62 - Matic, Chelsea 54 - Kelly, Crystal Palace 54 - Livermore, Hull 52 - Gardner, West Brom 51 - Wanyama, Southampton 51 - Boyd, Burnley 49 - Janmaat, Newcastle 48 - De Laet, Leicester Advertisement

In Matic they are the only club of the Premier League's chasing pack represented.

A moment that summed up the defensive midfielder came against Stoke.

Geoff Cameron, angling for a route to the box, was met by a lunging, stretching, perfectly-timed tackle by a 6ft 4in Serb. Denied, cleanly.

Chelsea made 37 tackles on a not-so cold and windy Monday night at the Britannia, their most in a Premier League match this year, and you’ll be hard pressed to find one better.

Matic gave as good as he got against a physical Stoke, shown by his tussles with N'Zonzi (below), and let's not forget, either, Chelsea lost the one match he was absent in Newcastle.

It was down the A19 from St James' Park at Middlesbrough where Matic had a trial in January 2009. These days he is an essential cog in the Mourinho machine.

Nemanja Matic gave as good as he got against a physical Stoke, shown as he tussles with Steven N'Zonzi

Matic and N'Zonzi get physical during the Monday night match between Stoke and Chelsea at the Britannia

And so to better reading for Manuel Pellegrini. In Yaya Toure the Manchester City manager has an orchestrator, the most successful and prolific passer in the Premier League. An unsure start is, slowly but surely, unravelling.

Toure (1,285) and Fabregas (1,205), both Barcelona alumni of sorts but never team-mates, have pulled away from their nearest competitors. Those being Everton’s Phil Jagielka (943) and, you guessed it, Matic (940).

Yet narrow it to the final attacking third and, again, it's a Chelsea thing. Hazard (540) and Fabregas (535) beat Toure (459). Then, Arsenal; Santi Cazorla (445) and Sanchez (424), before an honourable mention for Tottenham’s Christian Eriksen (383).

Yaya Toure is currently the most successful and prolific passer in the Premier League with 1,285 to his name

MOST SUCCESSFUL PASSES 1285 - Toure, Manchester City 1205 - Fabregas, Chelsea 943 - Jagielka, Everton 940 - Matic, Chelsea 912 - Barry, Everton 867 - Ki, Swansea 855 - Fonte, Southampton 836 - N'Zonzi, Stoke 828 - Gerrard, Liverpool 798 - Williams, Swansea Advertisement

MOST PASSES IN FINAL THIRD 540 - Hazard, Chelsea 535 - Fabregas, Chelsea 459 - Toure, Manchester City 445 - Cazorla, Arsenal 424 - Sanchez, Arsenal 383 - Eriksen, Tottenham 350 - Ramsey, Arsenal 349 - Silva, Manchester City 347 - Oscar, Chelsea 338 - Nasri, Manchester City Advertisement

Hazard has made the most passes in the final third of the pitch in the Premier League with 540 so far

Toure (1,285) and Fabregas (1,205) both lead the way for successful passes in the Premier League

A strange thing, these statistics.

For all that Chelsea dominate, it can count for little when you get down to the brass tacks. Three points are all that separate first from second. Two goals are all that separate Diego Costa (12) from Sergio Aguero (14).

Chelsea can move six points clear with a win over West Ham in Boxing Day's early kick-off, though that luxury may only be afforded until Manchester City face West Brom later that afternoon.

Still, Christmas comes and goes, the home straight begins. Mourinho and his three wise men have until May when the winner will get the spoils and the loser, nothing.

Mourinho's men face an in-form West Ham team on Boxing Day but he may be without Hazard for the match