Top spot was confirmed on Friday evening, despite a narrow 2-1 loss to Fulham in our Under-21s’ final league fixture of the season, as our closest rivals Manchester United were also defeated in their last game, meaning the four consecutive Chelsea victories going into the final round proved enough.

With both teams ending the campaign on 43 points, the Blues’ superior goal difference secured first place in the table at the end of the league phase and sends us into the title play-offs as the top seed.

Although the overall Premier League 2 champions will be decided in the play-offs, it is an impressive achievement by the young Blues to be crowned league winners at the end of a gruelling campaign, during which we recorded victories in 14 of our 20 fixtures, scoring 52 goals in the process.

As the top seeds for the title play-offs, we will be at home against the 16th-placed side in the first round, as well as being guaranteed a home draw in both the quarter-finals and semis, if we continue to progress.

Middlesbrough are currently 16th in the table, but other teams still have games to play before our next opponents can be confirmed. Full details for the Premier League 2 play-off first round match will be announced in due course.