Chelsea crowned Premier League champions as Michy Batshuayi claimed late winner

Chelsea clinched their fifth Premier League title on Friday night with a 1-0 win over West Brom at the Hawthorns after Michy Batshuayi came off the bench to grab the winning goal.

The Belgian international, a peripheral figure for much of the campaign, notched only his second league goal for the Blues in the 82nd minute to secure the win over Tony Pulis' side.

Antonio Conte and his players then led mass celebrations in front of their jubilant away supporters after the final whistle was blown.

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The Blues were crowned champions after sealing a 1-0 away win over West Brom at The Hawthorns

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Cesar Azpilicueta, Gary Cahill and David Luiz lead the celebrations as Chelsea enjoy their night of triumph

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Match-winner Michy Batshuayi holds a camera and takes a picture of the away fans celebrating their Premier League triumph

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Chelsea players slide on the grass in front of the away end as they continue their title celebrations

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Thibaut Courtois (centre) leaps in between Willian and Eden Hazard as Marcos Alonso (left) stretches his arms out wide 

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Antonio Conte applauds the away fans as the Chelsea players and staff dive onto the pitch at the end of the game

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Striker Diego Costa enjoys the victory moment alongside Terry, Willian and Azpilicueta

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Chelsea skipper Terry touches the badge on his chest after signing off with a fifth Premier League title

And speaking after the game to Sky Sports, midfielder Cesc Fabregas summed up the thoughts of everyone connected to the club when he declared: 'Football is f****** unbelievable.'

The Spaniard said: 'I thought it was going to be one of those days. We had so many chances in the first half and then we got a bit nervous.

'The beauty of football, a player who didn't play a lot scores the winning goal for the championship. Football is f****** unbelievable.'

Blues skipper Gary Cahill praised his team-mates, insisting they deserved their success.

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Chelsea manager Conte is thrown in the air by the players after the Blues secured the league title at West Brom

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Chelsea skipper Terry is thrown into the air as the players celebrate in front of the away supporters

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Chelsea forward Pedro strikes a pose as he thrown up into the air following the final whistle at West Brom

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Midfielder N'Golo Kante is serenaded by his team-mates after securing a second successive Premier League title

He said: 'These are times in football. These opportunities that you want to grasp with both hands. You just want to cherish them. 

'Consistently I think we've been the best team in the league. There's no better feeling than this in football. 

'People have written us off as a team and individually and this has shut them up. We are champions. It's another one in the cabinet.'

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Costa, David Luiz, Eden Hazard and Willian celebrate in the dressing room as they bask in their glory

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Chelsea goalkeeper Thibaut Courtois takes a selfie alongside midfielder Cesc Fabregas as they celebrate victory

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Conte is greeted by jubilant celebrations in the dressing room as his players prepare to give him a soaking

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Chelsea star duo Hazard and Pedro pose for the camera after securing their Premier League winners' medals

Club captain John Terry, who has spent most of the season on the substitutes' bench, revealed he was proud of the newly crowned champions.

'These boys have been on the field doing it week in week out. It's been a delight to sit and watch, a different perspective.

'The togetherness was shown from day one.'

Antonio Conte, who became the fourth manager to win the Premier League in his first season in charge, added: 'I think this achievement is a great achievement for the players, my players. 

'I want to show thanks for their commitment and their desire to do something this season. After this win I think we must be happy for this season.'

The Italian cited his reversion to the 3-4-3 formation in September after a run of bad form as key to the club's charge to the title. 

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The Chelsea players enjoy their celebrations in the away dressing room at The Hawthorns after the final whistle

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Team-mates and Brazilian countrymen Diego Costa and Willian celebrate sealing their second Premier League title

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Striker Costa enjoyed himself after the game as he stripped off his kit and savoured the moment

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Chelsea stars David Luiz, Marcos Alonso and Willian looked like they were enjoying themselves after the game

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Spanish team-mates Cesc Fabregas and Pedro enjoy the title-winning moment together after the final whistle

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Chelsea stars Diego Costa and David Luiz pose for a selfie in the away dressing room at the Hawthorns on Friday night

‘That decision changed our season. We had to change and find a new suit for our team. In my mind there was this option to play a 3-4-3 because I knew I had the players to do that.

‘We were not lucky, we did a great job. It's important to rest. It is a great season but now we can win the FA Cup.

‘Every game I feel like I have played with my players! I show my passion and my will, my desire to stay with my players in every moment of the game. This is me, I am this.

‘In the present, in the past, I stay with my players in positive and negative situations. We won this title together.’ 

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Chelsea's Spanish contingent Marcos Alonso, Pedro and Cesc Fabregas pose for a picture in the dressing room

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Kurt Zouma and Kante were all smiles as they grinned for the camera following Friday night's win

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Frank Lampard enjoyed Chelsea's winning moment and posted a picture of himself in front of the away fans on Instagram

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Chelsea star Willian's father was spotted in the away end watching his son secure his second title with the club

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Conte was joined by his touchline opponent Tony Pulis and Sky Sports presenter Geoff Shreeves for a glass of wine

Football Manager 2017 Release date - and how tio get it two weeks earlier

Popular game Football Manager 2017 will be released in less than three months – meaning Villa fans who can’t wait to get the side back in the Premier League can speed the process up.

The popular game will arrive in stores on Friday 4 November, but fans who pre-order can get a sneak peek at the game two weeks before it is officially launched.

So fans will soon be able to learn what game-makers think new signings Gollini, Tshibola, Jedinak and McCormack.

Fans who pre-order Football Manager 2017 from participating retailers online will also be able to play the fully playable Beta version of the game at least two weeks before launch.

Alongside the release date announcement, the game’s creators SI Games have also revealed the new colour scheme and cover art for the game.

The Details

The game will begin from the 2016/17 season and features top Premier League managers including Jose Mourinho, Pep Guardiola and Antonio Conte at their respective new clubs.

Football Manager features full staff and player squads in more than 50 world leagues, including England’s Premier League, Football League and National divisions.

The game is famous for its large fan community, large player database and simple interface. In the past the game’s extensive scouting systems and accurate player statistics have been used by professional clubs including Everton, to improve their scouting network.

Football Manager games have also correctly identified a number of real-life superstars from an early age. ‘Wonderkids’ who originally found fame include Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo.

Less said about Cerno Samba and Jonas Lunden.

What else is new!

ans who purchase the new game will also receive a free copy of Football Manager Touch 2017, which is the ‘streamlined, transfers and tactics version’ of the main game.

The Touch edition will also be available as a standalone release from the same day and those who pre-order will have complimentary access to additional downloadable content, including ‘board over-ride’, ‘no firing,’ ‘all job applications,’ ‘national management’ and three brand new challenges to play in the ‘challenge’ game mode.

There will be a host of new features ahead of the Beta launch so stay tuned for further updates, or visit www.footballmanager.com for all the latest information where you will also find out more on the mobile game over the coming weeks.

Fifa 17 - New engine, New story mode and 5 more key additions

This, of course, happens every year. The producers at EA Sports in Vancouver have to travel the world evangelising the latest Fifa title to journalists who are used to being told that this is the most exciting, innovative installment the series has ever seen. And then we’re shown a new heading mechanic.

But this year, there are two genuinely game-changing additions, and a whole host of supplemental tweaks, updates and evolutions. Of course, marketing and sponsorship remain a big part of the pre-release hype, so we know that Fifa 17 will have four ambassadors to help with its authenticity: James Rodriguez, Eden Hazard, Anthony Martial and Marco Reus. Apparently they’re not just faces on the box – they’ve been consulted about new additions to the game. We’ll see.

That’s not the big news, however. Here are the seven key additions to the Fifa squad.

Fifa gets Frostbite

Frostbite is a game engine developed by EA Dice, the studio behind the graphically impressive Battlefield series of first-person shooters. It’s the technology used to build many of EA’s recent and forthcoming releases including Battlefield 1, Mirror’s Edge: Catalyst and Mass Effect: Andromeda – and now it’s powering Fifa.

“We’ve been working on this transition for over two years – it was a massive undertaking,” said the producer, Aaron McHardy, during a recent demo of the game. “It allows authentic, true-to-life action; we’re one step closer to making the game look real. Frostbite comes with a brand new rendering engine and a new toolset, allowing us to really bring the visuals to life.”

The obvious result is more expressive lighting and animation during matches, but that’s not the only upshot of the move. While previous Fifa titles used a specific football simulation engine, Frostbite is a more general purpose tech, meaning that Fifa 17 can move away from the pitch and into completely different locations – just like a first-person shooter or action adventure.

There’s a new story mode called The Journey

McHardy calls this “the biggest new Fifa mode since Ultimate Team”, and it’s certainly the most intriguing. The Journey is basically a role-playing adventure, set within Fifa, with the player taking on the role of rookie signing Alex Hunter as he starts his career with a club of your choosing. Between matches there are scenes from Hunter’s life, as he fights his way into the first team alongside friend and rival Gareth Walker. At key decision points, you have to guide what Alex does and says – is he going to be a modest team player or a cocky upstart? How will he react when he’s sent out on loan? These choices shape the narrative and affect Turner’s relationships with his manager and squad mates.

Furthermore, everything you do during matches has an effect on the plot. Get sent off and the manager calls you in to his office to explain yourself; score the winning goal in a tense league match and you star in an ego-boosting post-match interview with a television pundit. Throughout the mode, you earn ‘Trait Points’ which can be used to improve Hunter’s attributes in 15 areas such as shooting, passing, defending and dribbling. Also training in specific skills will affect the player’s development.

Apparently, the Fifa development team consulted Dragon Age creator Bioware on the logistics of narrative-based games and also spoke to professional players such as Harry Kane, Dele Alli and Marcus Rashford, to get the feel and content of the story right.

New active intelligence system

EA has improved the positioning technology so AI teammates make better, more incisive runs. A key part of this is that players now have a nuanced understanding of space. Before, they’d just automatically think that gaps nearer the opponent’s goal are the best to run into, and that they should stay away from spaces where teammates are. In Fifa 17, they may put on the brakes to create gaps behindincoming defenders rather than automatically heading forwards; they may also get in close to teammates to pull defenders out of position. “Your teammates are going to work hard,” said McHardy. “They’ll make more runs that are better and more specific to what your side is trying to achieve. There won’t be as many defensive stalemates.” AI players will also make longer runs, even if it means slipping out of position, and they’ll use diagonal runs depending on the incoming passing angle.

In our short hands-on session, AI players definitely looked busier, signalling their intentions and bobbing in and out of the 18-yard box. It was difficult to work out from a few matches, however, if this will result in genuinely useful runs, or if the animation will be obvious enough to flag up more complex intentions.

New attacking techniques

Fifa 16 added a ‘pass with purpose’ function that let midfielders perform a zippy forward pass along the ground. That idea has now been extended into keeper throws, through balls and, most importantly, shooting. With the new driven finishes and downward headers system you can build up the power of a strike by holding the button, then tap it again to keep the ball low.

The idea is to allow those low, turbo-charged Steven Gerard-style shots into the corners. But during the hands-on, we discovered that it’s also useful for powering a shot while your back is toward the goal, then quickly turning and letting loose a powerful strike.

Set-pieces are being re-written

A new freekick mechanic lets you move the player around in front of the ball, providing a range of new possibilities including the ability to strike it with the outside of the foot. The camera also stays behind the player so that you can properly judge the trajectory of the strike. Penalties too have been overhauled, with a new kicking mechanic and the ability to vary the run up; you can approach at a slow pace like Neymar, or even curve your run to mislead the keeper.

Elsewhere, corner kicks have been “completely rewritten” according to McHardy. The taker now gets an aiming reticule that provides greater accuracy, and you can also switch control to the receiving player to put them in a better position. “We’re seeing more scrambles in the box now,” said McHardy. “We’re seeing goals like the one Ramos scored in the Champions League final, with the ball played in from a distance, a little flick on, then someone gets a toe to it right in front of the keeper.”

Finally, throw-ins now allow your player to run a short distance up and down the touchline, and to perform a fake throw to mislead opponents.

Physical play has been overhauled

The players now feature a new “pushback” technology, which governs their sense of balance during skirmishes with opponents. Instead of using two-player canned animations for these tussles, the system apparently utilises real-time physical interactions, meaning that every contact is unique and has realistic outcomes for the character models involved. For example, the player on the ball is able to push back on an opponent, gaining extra balance in the process and fending off their tackle.

Okay, this sounds similar to the old player impact engine but McHardy says it offers a new level above the basic collision detection, making physicality much more a part of the control system. Now physical controls are all on the left trigger replacing the discreet shielding and jostling mechanics from previous titles. Also, there’s a new shielded dribbling system, which gives you 360-degrees of movement while shielding the ball. Shoulder-to-shoulder tackles, step ins and seal outs are all on that trigger too, and they’re contextual, so whether you have the ball or are trying to get it, the system knows and responds correctly.

That useful left trigger also allows players to control and bring down contested long distance balls rather than automatically heading. “Up until now, if the ball was in the air, as long as one player pressed header, both had to go in and head it, you weren’t able to bring the ball down to your feet. It brings a whole new element to our in-air play. If you have a big string player upfront, you can take advantage of that and try to bring the ball down to start the attack from there.”

It’s now also possible to collide with goalkeepers – and if you do it hard enough they’ll sometimes drop the ball, although this will likely result in a freekick rather than a sneaky scoring opportunity.

Individuality is a focus again

EA Sports wants Fifa 17 to reflect the variety of player skills and personalities in the real sport. Consequently, the game is using full-body performance capture on major players, as well as a new facial animation technology, which brings in more life and emotion to faces. There are going to be new skill moves, and new tackles including special high-skill tackles that only certain defenders are able to pull off. To increase the fluidity, both in terms of gameplay and visuals, there are three times as many animations as Fifa 2016, and the development team has reduced the number of first-touch errors.

“We’ve been working a lot on the fluidity of sprint dribbling,” says McHardy. “We want to make sure we bring back the edge of players like Christiano Ronaldo and Gareth Bale, players who have a lot of pace. Last year we felt we lost the edge of those players, we’re bringing it back, but we want to do it in a way that we don’t break that midfield build-up.”

There are plenty of questions remaining. EA says it will reveal more about the future of Ultimate Team and other modes later. The short hands-on that we were given certainly hints at a more graceful and multifaceted simulation, but everyone needs more time on pitch, and most elements are still being tweaked.

The big question is whether people are going to want a narrative campaign in a simulation. Electronic Arts tried this before with the Need for Speed series, and it was something of a disaster. But in terms of making the player feel more personally involved in the action, it may just work. Playing that rainy mid-week fixture against Hull may well take on a new dimension if you know your player will be sacked if they mess up. Or it could just be an annoying sideshow. At least no one can say this instalment is just a glorified stats update.