Using Sky Bet's odds, our Andy Schooler looks at how our ante-post picks Chelsea went from 20/1 shots in September to champions with two games to spare.
February 1, 2016 – 4/1
Chelsea, the reigning champions, are languishing in 13th place on the day the 2016/17 book opens yet they are chalked up as 4/1 joint second favourites alongside Arsenal but behind Manchester City. Leicester are still three months away from their remarkable title heroics as 5,000/1 shots.
August 13 – 5/1
By the opening day of the season, Chelsea have drifted to 5/1 with the money having come for Manchester United, who by now have ditched Louis van Gaal and replaced him with proven title-winner Jose Mourinho, who has spent big in the summer. Chelsea, however, have a new boss of their own with Antonio Conte at the helm having earned plenty of plaudits for his leadership of Italy at Euro 2016. It is to prove a tasty price.
September 16 – 8/1
Chelsea lose 2-1 at home to Liverpool, their first big test of the season. The game is best remembered for Jordan Henderson’s rocket which leaves many home fans wondering whether pre-season optimism had been misplaced.
September 24 – 20/1
Things get worse for the men in blue as they are crushed 3-0 at supposed title rivals Arsenal. Already eight points off the pace being set by Man City, Chelsea’s odds hit 20/1 – price which is available for a further six days. The defeat is to prove a key moment in the title race though with Conte deciding change is required. He turns to a back three in the following match – Chelsea are about to set off on a 13-game winning run.
October 23 – 6/1
Manchester United are humbled 4-0 at the Bridge, an unhappy day for their former boss Mourinho, whose new team’s early title hopes are fading fast (they go out to 20/1). The Blues’ victory sees their odds return to single figures.
December 3 – 5/4
Chelsea become favourites for the first time following their 3-1 victory at Manchester City, who lead and miss a great chance to go two up. They are now three points clear of Arsenal at the top, four ahead of City.
December 11 – 10/11
A 1-0 victory over West Brom is their ninth in a row and they are made odds-on shots for the title.
February 4, 2017 – 1/8
With their price having gradually shortened during the busy festive period, they are cut into 1/8 after their 3-1 defeat of Arsenal, who hit 50/1 after a miserable display. The two sides’ fortunes have come a long way since the reverse fixture in September.
March 18 – 1/25
Gary Cahill’s late goal gives Chelsea a 2-1 win at Stoke and puts them 13 points clear at the top of the table. Sky Bet’s price hits 1/25 and the race looks all over bar the shouting.
April 16 - 1/6
Chelsea lose 2-0 at Old Trafford – their second loss in four games – and suddenly their lead is down to just four points thanks to Spurs’ relentless pursuit. They remain hot favourites but have returned to a backable price, of sorts.
April 30 - 1/20
With just five games remaining, a trip to Everton is regarded as their biggest remaining hurdle but it is cleared with something to spare, Chelsea becoming only the second team to win at Goodison in the league with a 3-0 success. Spurs beat Arsenal later the same day but Chelsea are now just 1/20.
May 5 - 1/80
Spurs’ winning run comes to a halt at the worst possible time as they are beaten 1-0 at London rivals West Ham. Chelsea are into 1/80 and the race is almost run.
May 12
Chelsea clinch the title with a 1-0 victory at West Brom. However, the 2017/18 book makes them just third favourites to successfully defend their crown. They are 3/1 shots behind both Manchester City (9/4) and Manchester United (11/4).
Click here for the latest 2017/18 Premier League odds
How the other clubs’ odds changed
Manchester City
It was the announcement that Pep Guardiola would be joining City as boss that prompted Sky Bet to open their 2016/17 book on February 1 and at that point they were 6/4 favourites. A poor end to the season and summer support for United saw those odds drift to 9/4 by the opening day but that looked big after a flying start which saw them win their first six games, including one at Old Trafford. They hit a low of 4/7 on September 24 before things went awry. They were back out to odds-against just a few weeks later and lost favouritism for the first time in early December after losing at home to Chelsea. An iffy festive period was followed by a 4-0 thrashing at Everton on January 15 and that saw them bumped out from 15/2 to 16/1. They briefly returned to 8/1 in March after four straight wins but the ante-post jollies would be fighting over a top-four finish in the closing weeks, not the title.
Tottenham
Few would argue Spurs were the second best team in the league this season but their odds suggest they were never really true title contenders. Opened as 8/1 shots and started the season at 10/1. They hit 40/1 over the festive period but by January 21 were back to 6/1. The shortest their price got was 9/2 on April 16 after seven straight wins.
Arsenal
The Gunners were firmly in the 2015/16 title race when the book opened and were priced up at 4/1. They would never go shorter. Started the season at 6/1 and immediately drifted to 9s after an opening-game loss to Liverpool. They were back into 4/1 in December after a 14-game unbeaten run took them top of the standings, but a poor Christmas saw their price drift into double figures. It would not improve.
Liverpool
The Reds will finish a long way behind Chelsea but it’s worth remembering they were offered at 5/2 – just behind then-favourites Manchester City - back in early November when a 6-1 win over Watford took them top of the league. They were still only 7/2 at the turn of the year but January was a disaster. With Sadio Mane away at the Africa Cup of Nations just three points were collected from a possible 12 and by the time they lost 2-0 at Hull on February 4, they were 50/1.
Manchester United
United opened at 9/2 but the money started to come for them once Jose Mourinho was appointed and by the time the first ball was kicked they were into 11/4. A week later they hit a season-low of 9/4 but it was downhill from there. In September, they followed a home defeat to Man City by losing 3-1 at Watford, a result which saw their odds drift to 12/1. They were never really in the race after that.
