IN the second tier two years ago, in a relegation fight last season, a 5,000-1 long shot last summer, Leicester is now alongside Manchester United, Liverpool and the other clubs who can call themselves champion.

    The Foxes clinched the most improbable title of the Premier League era when second-place Tottenham was held to a 2-2 draw at Chelsea on Monday night. With an insurmountable seven-point lead with two games remaining, Leicester is champion of England for the first time in its 132-year history.

    “Nobody believed we could do it, but here we are — Premier League champions and deservedly so,” Leicester captain Wes Morgan said. “I’ve never known a spirit like the one between these boys, we’re like brothers.”

    As recently as 2008-09, Leicester was in third-tier League 1. Just two years ago, Morgan and many of his teammates were playing in the far-from-glamorous second-tier League Championship. They were last in the Premier League in April 2015 before winning six of their last eight matches to avoid relegation, and at the start of this season betting houses favored them to drop back down.

    But on Monday, fans who never dreamed their modest club in an East Midlands city with a population of 383,000 would conquer wealthier rivals descended on Leicester’s King Power Stadium to party into the night.

    “People saw it last season when everyone expected us to be relegated, but we fought back to prove people wrong,” Morgan said. “This season’s been a continuation of that. We’ve built on the momentum, but I don’t think anyone believed it would come to this.”

    Leicester, which will collect the trophy Saturday when it hosts Everton at home, had not finished higher than second in the top tier since 1929.

    English soccer has not had a first-time champion of the top flight since Nottingham Forest in 1978. And for the last 20 years the Premier League trophy has never left London or Manchester, with Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City winning all the titles.

    Unlike Blackburn’s 1995 champions, Leicester has achieved its success without lavish spending.

    Chelsea’s draw also made Leicester manager Claudio Ranieri a league title winner for the first time in his career, 12 years after the 64-year-old Italian was fired by the Blues.

    “It’s the greatest achievement in the history of English football and it was led by an Italian,” Matteo Renzi, the Italian Prime Minister, tweeted.

    Ranieri’s task when he replaced the fired Nigel Pearson in July was just to keep Leicester in the Premier League. Instead he has masterminded a sporting feat that will resonate for decades.

    “I never expected this when I arrived. I’m a pragmatic man, I just wanted to win match after match and help my players to improve week after week,” said Ranieri. “The players have been fantastic. Their focus, their determination, their spirit has made this possible. Every game they fight for each other and I love to see this in my players.”

    At Chelsea on Monday night there wasn’t bitterness that the Blues were surrendering the title to a footballing minnow but joy that Ranieri was the beneficiary.

    “Let’s do it for Ranieri,” read one Chelsea fan’s poster at Stamford Bridge where the trophy was presented to Chelsea last May. Fans chanted “Leicester!” repeatedly during the six minutes of stoppage time.

    Leicester missed a chance to seal the title Sunday when it was held to a draw by Manchester United, but Chelsea got the party started.

    Tottenham had to win at Chelsea to keep its bid for a first title since 1961 and led 2-0 on goals from Harry Kane in the 35th minute and Son Heung-min in the 44th, before Chelsea rallied in a fiery London derby where tempers frayed and tackles became wild.

    (SD-Agencies)

    Leicester factbox

    A 5,000-to-1 shot:

    Before the start of the season, Leicester was a 5,000-to-1 shot to win the league. Leicester winning the title is probably the greatest underdog story in the history of sports.

    Minuscule payroll:

    The side finds talent in smaller leagues like Jamie Vardy — 1m pounds (US$1.45m) — and PFA Player of the Year Riyad Mahrez — 1.5m pounds. The Foxes spent a total of 22.9 million pounds to assemble their starting lineup. Here’s where Leicester’s wage bill puts the side compared to other clubs for the season.

    1. Chelsea: 215.6m pounds

    2. Man U: 203m pounds

    3. Man City: 193.8m pounds

    4. Arsenal: 192m pounds

    ‘Small’ team:

    The city of Leicester is a small town with a population of 383,000. Leicester’s was a city that was known for its shoe and leather manufacturers. Only four clubs lifted the Premier League trophy in the last 20 years (Manchester United 11, Chelsea 4, Arsenal 3, Manchester City 2).

    Leicester’s title is the first by a non-Big 4 club in the modern Premier League era (1992-present) since Blackburn Rovers were crowned champs in 1995.

    A helping hand:

    The side settled for a draw at Old Trafford and manager Claudio Ranieri’s former team, Chelsea, gave the Foxes a helping hand Monday with a draw against Tottenham. The 2014-15 champs helped out the 2015-16 champs — something we’d never thought we’d see.

    Champions League:

    A Premier League title also means the side will get to prove everyone wrong yet again when it faces the cream of the European crop in the Champions League.

    How fun will it be to see the Foxes square off with the likes of Barcelona, Real Madrid, PSG, Juventus, or Bayern Munich? If this little underdog story was inspiring, imagine how inspirational it’ll be if they do it against Europe’s best? (SD-Agencies)