Leicester claim Premier League title as Spurs held

LONDON:  Leicester City´s Premier League title dream finally became reality as nearest pursuers Tottenham Hotspur squandered a two-goal lead to draw 2-2 in a thrilling game at Chelsea on Monday.

With Leicester´s players watching on television 160km away in the East Midlands, first-half goals from Tottenham´s Harry Kane and Son Heung-min looked like extending the title race to the penultimate weekend of an unforgettable season.

But after the break Gary Cahill gave Chelsea a lifeline and Eden Hazard´s superb equaliser effectively handed the title to Leicester and their former Chelsea manager Claudio Ranieri.

With two games left, Leicester are an unassailable seven points of second-placed Tottenham with their title triumph sparking joyous scenes across the East Midlands city.

Leicester, 5,000-1 outsiders at the start of the season, are champions for the first time and the first team to win a maiden English title since Nottingham Forest in 1978, having left the likes of Manchester City, Chelsea and Arsenal in their wake.

Strangely the biggest match in Leicester´s history was one they were not involved in as the final act of an absorbing title race was played out in west London between last year´s champions and a Tottenham side who have refused to give up the chase.

But Claudio Ranieri´s intrepid Foxes had already done the damage, churning out consistent results to stay on top of the table since Jan. 23 as their rivals fell by the wayside.