Bottom of the table and staring down the barrel in January, a 3-1 win against Manchester United at Old Trafford gave us lift-off and, from there, Wayne’s charges embarked on a seven-game unbeaten run to pull themselves clear of the drop zone.
Further wins at home to Liverpool and away to Arsenal were followed up this week by a crucial 4-2 home triumph over relegation rivals Derby County and then the result that got us mathematically over the line on Friday – a long-overdue 2-1 win over Chelsea’s athletic and powerful youngsters, despite having to play with 10 men for nearly an hour following the sending-off of defender Christian Maghoma.