LONDON (AP) – Leicester City players crowded around a television inside the house of teammate Jamie Vardy, locked arm in arm, watching the action 100 miles away. And when the final whistle blew at Stamford Bridge, they raised their arms in triumph. One of the greatest sporting achievements in English history was complete.
In the second tier two years ago, in a relegation fight last season, a 5,000-1 long shot last summer, Leicester is now alongside Manchester United, Liverpool and the other clubs who can call themselves champion.
The Foxes clinched the most improbable title of the Premier League era when second-place Tottenham was held to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Monday night. With an insurmountable seven-point lead with two games remaining, Leicester is champion of England for the first time in its 132-year history.
“Championes! Championes! Ole! Ole! Ole!” the jubilant Leicester players sang as they jumped up and down with their arms on each other’s shoulders inside Vardy’s house.
“Nobody believed we could do it, but here we are – Premier League champions and deservedly so,” Leicester captain Wes Morgan said. “I’ve never known a spirit like the one between these boys, we’re like brothers.”