Chelsea's victory at West London rivals Queens Park Rangers on Sunday afternoon took them another step closer to lifting their first Premier League title in five years.
Jose Mourinho's men may not be playing with the same swagger which took them to the top of the table in the first half of the season, but there is no denying that they are efficiently going about their business to continue racking up the points.
Should they continue at this rate, by winning their game in hand over the chasing pack at bottom-side Leicester City and seeing off closest challengers Arsenal in two weeks' time, then they could potentially put their name in the record books as one of the top-flight's all-time great sides.
Yet the Blues still have a long way to go before surpassing Manchester United's 18-point winning margin, which was set 15 years ago. Here, Sports Mole takes a look back at those who have brushed aside all before them to storm to the title.
1. Manchester United (18 points, 1999-2000)
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It may come as little to surprise to see the Premier League's most successful ever side dominate this list, but it was back in 2000 when they truly wrote their name into folklore. The season before, when they claimed a memorable European and domestic treble, may stand out when Red Devils supporters cast their minds back towards the turn of the century, but it was in this campaign under the guidance of Sir Alex Ferguson in which they really turned on the style.
Having stolen the title from Arsenal's grasp by a single point in 1999, there was no such trouble 12 months on when they finished a mammoth 18 points ahead of the same opponents. United would end the season in style, winning each of their last 11 league games to enter their name in the record books for an achievement of a different kind, too, with what was the second-longest winning streak in top-flight history.
2. Chelsea (12 points, 2004-05)
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He arrived at Stamford Bridge amid much fanfare in the summer of 2004, and it is fair to say that Jose Mourinho did not disappoint during his first spell at the club. The Portuguese spent wisely under the watch of Russian backer Roman Abramovic, recruiting the likes of Didier Drogba, Ricardo Carvalho, Arjen Robben and Petr Cech to spur them on to their first Prem crown.
The Blues did it in some style, too, racking up a record 95 points on a side built with a solid defensive foundation at its core. In fact, Chelsea conceded just 15 goals all term - another league record - to see the self-proclaimed 'Special One' kickoff his tenure in memorable fashion. A decade on, Mourinho is on course to surpassing this 12-point title-winning margin.
3. Arsenal/ Manchester United (11 points, 2003-04; 11 points 2012-13)
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Before the days of big-money spending at Chelsea, the Premier League was essentially a two-horse race between Man United and Arsenal year upon year. They had shared 11 of the 12 titles before the financially-backed Blues had come along, but there was only ever going to be one side parading the trophy through the streets at the end of the 2003-04 campaign.
This was, of course, the year in which Arsenal picked up at least a point in every one of their games to see their name etched into the record books as 'The Invincibles'. The key player to this since unmatchable feat was star striker Thierry Henry, who smashed in 30 goals to keep his side firmly at the top throughout.
It was by this same points margin that Alex Ferguson rounded off his illustrious managerial career at United, too, wrestling the title back from Manchester City, who dramatically pipped United to the post a year prior, to walk into the sunset with a 13th league crown. It may have come in a straightforward manner in the grand scheme of things, but this final season was certainly one to remember for the Old Trafford faithful.
4/5. Manchester United (10 points, 1992-93 & 2000-01)
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There were many, many things that Fergie was good at during his trophy-laden career at Old Trafford, but the one aspect of his management style that truly stood out more than anything else was his ability to create title-winning sides from scratch. None of this would have been possible were it not for the triumphant 1992-93 season, which culminated in the Red Devils winning the league for the first time in some 26 years.
They had a real battle with Aston Villa to prevail, but the eventual 10-point gap saw United through relatively safely in the end. That margin would be matched eight years later when, with a new group of players in large, Ferguson's charges started strongly and did not look back to win the title for a third year in succession.
Daniel Lewis
