This was the weekend that Chelsea ultimately relinquished their Premier League crown.

With eight games left to play, and leaders Leicester City 25 points their better, the draw against West Ham meant it was now mathematically impossible to catch-up with the greatest story of this, or any other Premier League season.

Of course, employing reason rather than maths will have revealed that was a feat of impossibility since roughly late October, when Chelsea last faced Slaven Bilic's side.

In that meeting, the last between the two to be played at Upton Park, the Blues' rivals from the east won 2-1 – and this return fixture at Stamford Bridge looked to be headed the same way until it's very last moments.

Boss Guus Hiddink, a man with more draws than Victoria's Secret, admitted this point was another in a series that showed improvement had been made since Jose Mourinho's departure – though not enough.

Blues started well, but lost their way in a first half where they seemed unable to control ball or match.

It was another afternoon of individual failings: with Loic Remy and Oscar both showing why they are being so keenly linked with summer moves away from Chelsea.

The former, standing in for the suspended Diego Costa, made very little impression on the game at all. Meanwhile the latter, a shadow of the player that announced his arrival with two goals against Juventus four years back, continued on his frustrating trajectory of underachievement.

As at Upton Park, Chelsea twice went behind – though here they had the good sense, and fortune, to equalise both times.

Cesc Fabregas was the man twice crucially involved – in the latter case, thanks to referee Robert Madley's most significant error of the afternoon.

Madley had been criticised by followers of both sides for his lack of control over the game, though for the most part he got the big decisions right.

Three claimed handball incidents by West Ham were all waved-off by the official.

Replays showed one by Enner Valencia to have made contact with the chest; another by Winston Reid to be more a case of ball-to-tucked-in-elbow as the defender turned; and the third by goalkeeper Adrian to be on the line, rather than outside the box.

Penalty: Ruben Loftus-Cheek is brought down for the equaliser

But it was the introduction of Ruben Loftus-Cheek, for the ineffective Oscar with six minutes to play, which brought the most controversial moment.

Michail Antonio did make contact with the Londoner, but it was the 20-year-old's own leg which seemed to bring him down.

Those calls go either way, especially when you are battling the last man (though experience suggests Loftus-Cheek was unlikely to have scored from that position).

But the big quarrel, particularly from West Ham boss Slaven Bilic, was with Loftus-Cheek's position – outside the box when first contact was made.

Fabregas scored from the spot, and Chelsea did at least continue the trend since Hiddink's arrival of mostly winning, rather than relinquishing points through last gasp goals.

Afterwards he seemed unmoved by the mathematical loss of the title which, like fourth place, he believed to be a lost cause prior to his arrival – again insisting the relegation fight was the priority number one.

But the Dutchman proposed a European slot of sorts (provided by either sixth or seventh place) was still a possibility – and that it was desired by him and the club.

That is likely to require at least eighteen points from the 24 available, five out of eight games away from home – surely in the realms of impossibility, given what was seen here.

Antonio Conte, standing in the wings but yet to be formally confirmed as manager-in-waiting, will be getting a clearer picture of just how big a job he will have to do next season.