By the end of the day, all those in Chelsea blue had what they came for and Roman Abramovich was waving and smiling down from his executive seat.
When you see Abramovich crack his surly Russian visage and display such emotion, you are witnessing a special moment, and here was his fourth Barclays Premier League title in 12 years since buying the club.
It ends a wait of five years and was clinched with three games to spare, thanks to a goal from Eden Hazard, who nodded in the rebound of a poor penalty he had seen saved, just before half-time.
Chelsea had to dig in and defend but Jose Mourinho's team do this so well. They produced another clean sheet and the best team in the land are the champions.
Out came the streamers and that song by Queen. Champagne corks popped and the bubbly was sprayed, scarves were wrapped around heads and players slid across the turf on their bellies. Messages, photographs and videos started to fly from their social media accounts.
The DJ moved onto 'One Step Beyond', a ska anthem of celebration at Stamford Bridge and it all began to sink in: a first Premier League title for many of the squad, including Hazard.
He was an appropriate match-winner on such a day, although his scruffy goal came with accusations that he dived for the penalty and there were uneasy moments when the coronation party seemed about to fall flat.
Mourinho's touchline activities provided a strange side-show. At times he sulked moodily, clearly dissatisfied with the support of the home crowd for his team, while seeming to court the noisy Palace fans in the Shed End.
The Chelsea manager ignored those in the Matthew Harding Stand when they sang his name and then seemed to react angrily when they sang Frank Lampard's.
'It was not a game to enjoy,' said Mourinho, who has been under added stress since his father, Felix, suffered a brain haemorrhage, last week. He dashed to Portugal by private plane after winning at Leicester, returned to the club and made another flying visit home on Friday.
'I was there with him at the most difficult moment, the moment of surgery,' he added. 'After that, everything is under control. He is getting strong and better and I am much more relaxed.'
On Sunday his wife Matilde was in the crowd. She rarely comes to watch but this was a special occasion and Mourinho went straight to her on the final whistle.
Palace made Chelsea sweat for the points, but these players have been injected with the sort of brutal mentality which is the hallmark of Mourinho's teams.
When not playing fluently, they still find a way to win. Rather than snipe and whinge about their style of football, his rivals might prefer to adopt this quality which Chelsea have boasted since he built his first team at the Bridge.
It has been most evident in the title run-in, when Mourinho's small squad was beset by injuries, most notably to top-scorer Diego Costa. Oscar was missing on Sunday and Ramires was taken ill during the warm-up and sent to hospital, which catapulted Juan Cuadrado into the team.
Cuadrado has not found his stride since arriving from Fiorentina in January and he struggled again. He did not make it past half-time. John Obi Mikel replaced him, the first of several defensive shifts from Chelsea.
By the end, Mourinho had six recognised defenders on the pitch protecting the one-goal lead plus midfield enforcers Mikel and Nemanja Matic.
Palace can be flattered. They had performed well, initially offering stubborn resistance which played on frayed nerves inside Stamford Bridge and then threatening on the break until the final seconds of the game.
Goalkeeper Julian Speroni denied Matic and Didier Drogba before Hazard won the penalty, threading a pass to Willian, collecting the return and wriggling into the box from his usual berth, wide on the left.
James McArthur closed him down and tried to pull out of the tackle but Hazard forced the contact. At real-speed, it seemed a penalty and referee Kevin Friend gave it in a flash. On the slow-motion replays, it looked more like Hazard had engineered it.
The Belgian put the ball on the spot and took it himself, but his kick was tame and easily saved by Speroni. It was the first time Hazard had missed from the spot in the Premier League, but this one looped up, straight onto his head.
Hazard seized this second chance. He buried a header inside the post and ran off to soak up the applause while mopping his brow in mock relief.
Palace fans were in no doubt what they thought. Hazard's first touch of the second-half was greeted with a chorus of: 'He's gonna dive in a minute.'
Pardew refused to wade into controversy on Chelsea's day of celebration, but he thought his team deserved a penalty for handball against John Terry as he blocked a fierce drive by Jason Puncheon when the game was goalless.
'They're difficult once they go ahead,' said the Palace boss. 'That's what champions do, they don't let you back in once they take the lead. They've had two defeats all season and they've done the job. That's why this guy earns the money he earns. He wins trophies and he'll win the manner he sees fit for the occasion.'
Chelsea could not find a second to soothe the nerves. Increasingly desperate efforts came in from increasingly ambitious angles but it was Puncheon who came closest to changing the result, with another flashing effort which zipped inches wide.
When Thibaut Courtois blocked the final effort at Wilfried Zaha's feet to preserve the slender lead it seemed like the best way to cross the line: goal conjured by Hazard, followed by a solid display of defensive might.
Chelsea are champions. Worthy champions, it has to be said. More than one step beyond.
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