Chelsea, who won the League Cup in February, have 88 points and cannot be caught by 2004 champions Arsenal [Images] who have 74 points and four games to play in the Premier League.

Saturday's triumph, funded by their Russian billionaire owner Roman Abramovich, confirmed Chelsea as the new dominant force in English football and brought the era of power-sharing by Arsenal and Manchester United [Images] to an abrupt end.

Chelsea, whose only previous league title was in 1955, have lost just one league game this season and have conceded only 13 goals in 35 games.

Manager Jose Mourinho has also guided the London [Images] club into the Champions League semi-finals in his first season in England [Images], less than a year after steering Porto to the European crown.

In a remarkable centenary year for the club, Chelsea take their Treble hopes to Liverpool next week for the Champions League semi-final second leg after a 0-0 draw on Wednesday.

The Portuguese coach has been the tactical brains behind Chelsea's success while a spending spree of well over 200 million pounds ($380 million) since Abramovich's takeover in 2003 has provided a stream of top players.

The keys to Chelsea's success have been a formidable defence under captain John Terry, the footballers' union Player of the Year, and an ability to strike at goal from any position.

LAMPARD STRIKES

Lampard is the club's top scorer with 18 goals in all competitions ahead of strikers Didier Drogba [Images] and Eidur Gudjohnsen, while wingers Damien Duff and Arjen Robben plus playmaker Joe Cole have also netted regularly.

United and Arsenal, who had won the previous nine titles, will contest the FA Cup final in three weeks' time.

Mourinho, the self-styled "special one", told Sky Sports TV on Saturday: "The whole group is a special group, they deserve this.

"Nobody speaking with fairness and sense could say we don't deserve this title because we did absolutely magnificently... and I'm very happy for the fans.

"Roman deserves a lot, and (chief executive) Peter Kenyon, but this group is really special.

"When we have to play, we play, when we have to fight, we fight, when we have to suffer, we suffer -- always together."

Though champagne corks were popping in Chelsea's dressing room at the Reebok Stadium, few players expected the celebrations to continue with a Champions League semi-final looming on Tuesday in their Treble bid.

"I think they are going to be quiet," Lampard said of the festivities. "We know that it's a massive game for us. The first thing we wanted to do was to win the league and now we want to beat Liverpool.

"But this is a moment you remember for the rest of your life."

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