There are hundreds of small steps to become Premier League champions but it can so often be the final one that is among the hardest to take, and so it proved for Chelsea who found a hero at the last in their bit-part £33 million striker Michy Batshuayi, a match-winner and now a title-clincher.

This was a long way from the best Chelsea performance of the season but they found a way and with a winner from Batshuayi, a substitute, nine minutes from time after a long, hard battle they showed that they have the capability to win on all occasions. They were made to fight every last step of the way by West Bromwich Albion, as if to make the point to Antonio Conte that he is right when he says that no game in England’s top-flight can be taken for granted.

When the goal went in the Italian leapt into the arms of his staff, and his transformation of Chelsea from the champions that melted under the pressure last season to the champions again this time has been remarkable. That they won against West Brom when it looked like the title race could stumble on to the 37th game against Watford at Stamford Bridge on Monday, was testament to the cussedness of Conte’s team.

Good footballers, and good managers, never tire of that winning feeling and there was no restraint in the celebrations in front of their travelling fans after the final whistle. The Chelsea players and staff threw Conte up into the air, and then they did the same for John Terry and all this barely 18 months since Jose Mourinho had accused much of this squad of betraying their then manager.