If Chelsea emerge victorious from their match against Stoke City on New Year's Eve, they will have extended their winning run to a remarkable 13 Premier League matches. Victory would also mean that they would enter 2017 with at least a six-point lead at the top of the table with exactly half the season remaining.
It would place Chelsea in a highly enviable position, especially with no European football to drain their resources, and their title claims would be the strongest of all the challengers. But it would be a mistake for anyone to believe that the job was even partially done as such a lead at such a time can be deceptive.