Somewhere near the end of March seemed like the perfect moment for a familiar phrase in an unconventional season. "Leicester have all the hallmarks of Premier League champions," a Telegraph headline declared last week, under which writer Sam Wallace noted that "although they are not scoring freely, their defensive organisation, at the back and in midfield, makes them very had to break down."
Leicester's no-frills, all-hands-to-the-pump win at Crystal Palace last Saturday provoked a burst of talk about the "hallmark of champions" -- that is ... well, what is it?
Recent history suggests that it is a down-and-dirty 1-0 win away to an awkward opponent, serving to ruggedly prove a side's title-race staying power once and for all.