First-half goals from Spaniards Diego Costa and Marcos Alonso and a tap-in by Nemanja Matic propelled exuberant Chelsea to within three points of clinching the Premier League title tonight and condemned Middlesbrough to relegation.

Costa got his 20th league goal this season, controlling a ball lofted into the area by compatriot Cesc Fabregas and neatly nutmegging keeper Brad Guzan. Two Spaniards were involved in the second goal, Cesar Azpilicueta feeding Alonso to score.

With Antonio Conte's team buzzing, Matic put away the third in the 65th minute to pile the misery upon Boro, who will join north-east neighbours Sunderland in the second tier next season.

Chelsea can claim the title in Conte's first season in charge even before nearest rivals Tottenham Hotspur play again if the west London side win at West Bromwich Albion on Friday

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.