Chapter 86: The Two Heroes Compete for the Crown

After knocking out Bayern Munich to reach the last four of the Champions League, Blackburn has temporarily turned all his attention back to the Premier League.

Blackburn Rovers currently sit top of the Premier League but are just two points clear of Chelsea behind them, and with only five games remaining, every league game is a must-have.

On April 22, the 34th round of the Premier League began.

Chelsea host Southampton, with the Blues losing just two of their last 16 games, winning nine and drawing five of their remaining 14 games. Antonio Conte continued to field the same starting line-up that defeated Blackburn Rovers in the previous round. Romeu and Bertrand, who play for Southampton, start against their former clubs.

Chelsea took the lead just six minutes after Moses crossed the ball from the right and Hazard flicked past Steven Davies on the right side of the box before firing a powerful shot through Foster's legs.

Southampton then launched a counter-attack, frequently threatening from set-pieces. First, Steven Davies crossed from a free-kick, but Austin headed wide. Steven Davies then headed in a corner, but Font's header was still wide. Tadic's free-kick shot was saved by Courtois.

Chelsea were keen to recycle the defence, and Southampton's counter-attacking pressure also left too much room for the Blues to attack. Chelsea missed a chance in the 41st minute when Nemanja Matic stepped forward and crossed through to Costa's low shot from 12 yards on the right side of the box that Forster denied with his legs.

Chelsea doubled their lead in the 55th minute when Luiz headed in a free-kick and Eden Hazard crossed back from the left, and Costa curled a shot from 20 yards out after breaking away from Martina's defence, and the ball clung to the right post into the net to make it 2-0, and the score was the final result of the game.

Chelsea took their opponents lightly and put a little pressure on Blackburn.

In the ensuing match against Bournemouth, in the opening four minutes, Blackburn Rovers almost destroyed the Great Wall, Daniels took the ball from the left, but Alaba stopped at the back post to Callum Wilson, but Callum Wilson swept wide of the near post from 7 meters in front of goal!

Blackburn didn't take the lead until the 40th minute - Alderweireld made a long pass from the back, Anthony Martial won the ball and his one-handed shot from 9 yards from the left side of the box was blocked by Bonuz, but Harry Kane cleverly stepped forward and fired into the empty net, 1-0.

In the first half, Neymar had only 19 touches of the ball under the watchful eye of the opposition, and the opponent had zero touches in the penalty area. Six minutes into the second half, Neymar finally had a stroke of genius. Pogba fought for the top on the left side of the frontfield, Neymar did not wait for the ball to land in the middle, and directly turned his back to the "scorpion swing tail" outside the instep volley, Harry Kane carried Steve Cook, and the volley was blocked by Bonutz 10 meters in front of the goal!

Blackburn extended their advantage in the 59th minute, Bellerin broke through the right side of the defender's penalty area and crossed, Harry Kane did not touch the front point, Martial hit a left-footed volley 13 meters from the goal, but the ball bounced off the ground and turned into an assist, Pogba hit the bottom left corner with a header from 5 meters from the goal on the right side, 2:0.

Blackburn Rovers sealed the win in the 73rd minute when Alaba's low cross from the left was met by substitute Gabriel Jesus on the right side with a pinpoint low shot from 27 yards out that drilled Steve Cook's crotch into the far corner to make it 3-0.

Finally, after the end of this round, Blackburn Rovers is still at the top of the standings with a two-point advantage, and still holds the initiative to win the championship.

On April 29, the 35th round of the Premier League kicked off.

Chelsea travel to Everton, with Antonio Conte still in the starting line-up for his recent winning streak, with Romelu Lukaku starting for Everton against his former club.

Chelsea started the game and began to besiege it. The Blues scored twice in two minutes before Nemanja Matic stole Barry in midfield and Diego Costa split the ball before Eden Hazard cut into the far corner from 18 yards out on the left side of the box.

70 seconds later, Hazard passed through, Pedro selflessly crossed from the right side of the penalty area, Costa missed, and Alonso fired a powerful shot into the net from 12 yards, 2:0.

Chelsea remained in control and sealed the win in the 42nd minute when Eden Hazard headed in a corner, Nemanja Matic nodded back and Costa volleyed into the net from 10 yards to make it 3-0. It was his 22nd league goal of the season.

In the second half, the two teams were unable to achieve anything, and Chelsea continued to put pressure on Blake in front of them with a 3-0 game.

Will Blackburn collapse under such pressure?

Apparently not.

In the game at home to Stoke City, Blackburn Rovers won a penalty in the 21st minute - Phil Jones fought for a corner kick on the right side, and was dragged to the ground by Shawcross behind him when he jumped, referee Dean pointed to the penalty spot and warned Shawcross that Harry Kane, who hopes to defend the Premier League Golden Boot, pushed into the top left corner, 1:0.

It was Harry Kane's 22nd league goal of the season and he is second in the scorers' charts by one goal.

Blackburn Rovers extended the score in the 36th minute! Raheem Sterling's free kick from the right was crossed diagonally, and Coutinho's header from 7 meters from goal was grazed into the far corner, 2:0.

After Arthur took over, Blackburn led by at least two goals in the first half and won it all.

This game is no exception.

Blackburn sealed the win in the 72nd minute, Sterling broke the ball on the right side and counterattacked, combined with Coutinho's kick to the wall, burst into the right side of the penalty area and shook past Given, and calmly crossed the other side when he lost the angle of his shot, Harry Kane advanced from 5 meters in front of the goal, scoring twice to tie the top scorer, 3:1.

Harry Kane equalled the top scorer in the league and Blackburn Rovers remained at the top of the league table, and this round couldn't have been more wonderful for the Roses!

On May 6, the 36th round of the Premier League began, and Chelsea was the first of the two champions to play.

Chelsea host Middlesbrough and have won their last seven games against Middlesbrough with clean sheets.

Chelsea came close to opening the scoring in the 28th minute when Eden Hazard's through ball was returned from the right side of the box by Moses, and the unguarded Pedro's 12-yard effort was brilly fired over the crossbar by Valdés.

Chelsea broke the deadlock in the 41st minute when Eden Hazard whipped in a corner that deflected high off Chambers' back and Cesc Fabregas volleyed into the net from close range in a scuffle.

Chelsea came close to doubling their lead early in the second half when Luiz's diagonal cross was headed over by Costa and Pedro swept across the crossbar from the edge of the box.

Neither team was able to change the scoreline, but Chelsea secured the three points in the most economical 1-0 game.

Unfortunately, if Chelsea want to win the title, not only will they have to win back-to-back, but they must also expect Blackburn Rovers to drop points, but Blackburn's opponents West Ham United do not seem to be strong enough in this round.

Blackburn Rovers took control of the game after the break, when Neymar burst into the box and fired wide of the right-hand post, followed by Antoine Griezmann in front of the box.

Blackburn took the lead in the seventh minute when Philippe Coutinho broke through the middle and Bale crossed from the left side of the box for an unmarked Harry Kane to score his 24th league goal of the season from 10 yards, with Jurgen Klopp celebrating on the sidelines.

Blackburn Rovers doubled the score in the 18th minute, Bale free-kick into the box, and the unguarded Stones rushed into the net from 10 yards to make it 2-0.

In the 48th minute of the second half, Neymar crossed a free kick from the right, and Bale, who was in an offside position, blocked the ball and was ruled invalid, and Blackburn missed a good opportunity.

West Ham pulled one back in the 58th minute, Masuaku crossed from the left, Cech made a mistake, Varane also missed the ball when he returned to defend, and Antonio headed in front of Stones from close range, 1-2.

The closer score also made Jurgen Klopp more nervous, replacing Paul Pogba with the more solid N'Golo Kante.

Blackburn missed a chance in the 84th minute, Bale combined with Griezmann and pushed a shot from 12 yards on the right side of the penalty area was barely saved by the onrushing Adrian, and Neymar's pass from a small angle on the right side of the box was cleared by Bairam in time.

In stoppage time, Blackburn Rovers finally opened again, Griezmann passed through, Neymar shook the goalkeeper on the left side of the penalty area and pushed it into the net from almost zero angle, 3:1. In the end, Blackburn won the game without danger and continued to lead by two points with only two rounds left in the league.

On May 13, in the 37th round of the Premier League, Chelsea and Blackburn played at the same time in this round of the league, and the pressure on both sides continued unabated.

Let's talk about Chelsea first.

Chelsea travel to West Bromwich Albion and Nemanja Matic returns to the starting line-up after returning from injury.

West Bromwich Albion, who were at home at home, started the game with a cross from Dawson from the right and Rongdong's header from 12 yards was right into Courtois's hands. Dawson crosses again from the right and Brent heads it high in front of him.

Chelsea then launched a direct threat to return to colour. In the 28th minute, Costa made a tackle and Nemanja Matic fired a powerful shot from 25 yards that deflected Pedro and the ball grazed the right post. Luiz's free-kick from 30 yards out is sent into the stands.

The second half remained a stalemate and Chelsea were unable to shake West Bromwich Albion's iron bucket defence. Dawson and Jacob were booked.

Chelsea finally broke the deadlock in the 79th minute when Cesc Fabregas cut forward and Diego Costa cut into the far corner from 10 yards on the right side of the box to give Chelsea a precious three points.

Compared to Chelsea's struggle, Blackburn's game was much easier in this round.

Against Watford, Blackburn Rovers started the game aggressively and came close to opening the scoring in the 16th minute when an unguarded N'Golo Kante corner effort from the edge of the six-yard box was saved by Gomes. Five minutes later, Griezmann crossed diagonally and Coutinho fired a powerful shot into the side-netting from 12 yards out on the left side of the box.

Blackburn broke the deadlock in the 27th minute, Coutinho crossed from a tactical corner on the left, and Griezmann scored with a header before Janmatt, 1:0!

Blackburn Rovers extended the score in the 30th minute, Griezmann passed, and Coutinho's powerful shot from inside the box arc passed between Caboul's legs and into the net, 2:0.

Blackburn almost ended the battle in half the game, and in the 43rd minute, Bellerin, who was inserted later, crossed from the right, and Pogba headed home from the edge of the small penalty area, 3-0.

Blackburn Rovers continued to dominate the game in the second half. In the 57th minute, Bale's cross from the left side of the penalty area was scored by Harry Kane from close range to score his 25th league goal of the season, 4-0.

In the 60th minute, Kante made a direct pass, Griezmann crossed from the right side of the penalty area, and Sterling stabbed it into the net from close range, 5:0.

Watford pulled one back in the 75th minute when Amrabat burst into the right side of the box and crossed back, and Janmatt fired a low shot into the net from 15 yards to make it 1-5.

In stoppage time, substitute veteran Alonso passed the ball with his heel, Griezmann passed back, and another veteran, also on the bench, Frank Lampard, shot into the net from 15 yards, 6-1.

Blackburn Rovers used such a big win to tell Chelsea who is the Premier League hegemon this season, and if the other party wants to win the title, it is better to wait until next season to try!

May 21, the final round of the Premier League, is also the finale of the Premier League powerhouses this season.

Chelsea host bottom-of-the-table Sunderland, who have already been relegated, so the panicked Black Cats are not destined to cause too much trouble for the Blues, and the three points are almost in the hands of Chelsea.

Looking at the opponent's line-up and reputation, it is clear that Blackburn will have a tougher opponent in this round, as the Roses will face Jose Mourinho's Manchester United in the final Premier League game this season.

However, if you look at the starting lineup announced by Manchester United in this round, you can't see that this is a shadow of a championship-level powerhouse.

Manchester United's starting line-up