1. Beverly Hills Hotel
In the grand setting of the Rodeo room of Los Angeles’ Beverly Hills Hotel
Jose Mourinho issued a veiled threat to Avram Grant following the first day
of pre-season training, warning he would not tolerate any interference in
first team affairs from the club’s newly-appointed director of football.
“From my point of view it won’t interfere with the power I have in relation
to my job,” Mourinho said, drawing lines in the sand for a power battle he
was to dramatically lose in the less than 10 weeks.
The Special One was soon to learn he was not untouchable after all.
2. Community Shield
The tone of a remarkable season was set by a tense Charity Shield in which
Manchester United and Chelsea had to be separated by a penalty shoot-out,
summing up much of what was to follow. United triumphed 3-0 on penalties to
make up for their FA Cup final defeat three months earlier, though Chelsea
are not easily subdued as they were soon to demonstrate.
Watch it again here
3. Roman leaves Villa Park
Roman Abramovich stormed out of the Villa Park directors’ box in a huff after
Gabriel Agbonolahor’s late goal had given the home side a shock 2-0 victory,
revealing his impatience and frustration following a mediocre start to the
season.
It was clear at that point that despite successful peace in the summer much
tension remained in the relationship between Abramovich and Mourinho, but
no-one expected it to implode so spectacularly within such a short space of
time.
4. Mourinho eggs rant
Following a disappointing home draw with Blackburn Rovers further evidence of
internal problems was provided by a classic Mourinho rant on the eve of
Chelsea’s first Champions League match of the season against Rosenborg, in
which he compared a side missing Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard through
injury to a batch of broken eggs.
“In the supermarket you have class one, class two and class three eggs and
some are more expensive than others and some give you better omelettes,” he
said. “So when the class one eggs are in Waitrose and you cannot go there,
you have a problem.”
Watch it again here
5. Rosenborg draw
Chelsea were booed off at a half-empty Stamford Bridge following a
disappointing draw with the Norwegian champions. Abramovich was understood
to be concerned by the poor crowd and angered by Mourinho’s repeated
complaints, but even then it was not clear that a dramatic parting of the
ways was imminent.
6. Blue Revolution screening and Mourinho sacking
Quite simply the most dramatic day of the season, with Mourinho’s shock
departure being played out in an almost farcical manner consistent with the
spirit of pantomime that for several months had crippled key relationships
at the club.
In keeping with his penchant for melodrama Mourinho sent text messages to
several of his players as he entered a cinema screening of Blue Revolution,
a documentary about the Abramovich takeover, telling them he would be
leaving the club and saying goodbye. His exit terms were thrashed out in a
meeting at Stamford Bridge that ran on into the small hours, with Grant
being announced as his successor to general astonishment the following
morning.
Watch it again here
7. John Terry holds players’ meeting
There was barely a dry eye in the house when Mourinho popped into the training
ground to collect his belongings and say farewell, and with the players
still in shock and talk of mutiny in the ranks John Terry called them
together for a meeting the following day.
The captain spelled out the need for loyalty and commitment to each other and
the club as a whole irrespective of who was the manager, an inspired
rallying call that played a huge part in turning their season around.
8. Obi Mikel sent off at Old Trafford
Grant blames defeat in his first match in charge on Mike Dean’s decision to
dismiss John Obi Mikel for a characteristically wild lunge, even suggesting
that it may have ultimately cost his side the title, though the visitors
were always second best as United won 2-0.
There was little sign of the implosion that many had predicted however, with
Chelsea demonstrating plenty of the character and resilience they would need
in the months to come
9. Valencia 1, Chelsea 2
The first indication that Grant had a chance at the highest level as,
following a home draw with Fulham and comfortable Carling Cup win at Hull
City, Chelsea came from behind to win in one of the most intimidating arenas
in European football.
Joe Cole and Didier Drogba scored the goals that put Chelsea’s Champions
League campaign back on track, but of greater significance was the symbolic
importance of the victory, with Grant pulling off an improbable win at the
scene of one of Mourinho’s greatest triumphs in the previous season’s
quarter-finals
10. Chelsea 6, Manchester City 0
Grant had, perhaps unwisely, attempt to allay the many sceptics by promising
sustained success in greater style, with this victory over a City side on
the up the first occasion on which he delivered. The rout was so
comprehensive that even Andriy Shevchenko scored but Chelsea soon reverted
to type, grinding out results in an attritional manner that earned
admiration, if not genuine affection.
Watch
it again here
11. Chelsea 4, Aston Villa 4
The debate of thrilling v functional football returned with a vengeance after
this Boxing Day Spectacular, with Chelsea somehow contriving to throw away a
game they had sewn up twice by conceding two late equalisers.
This failure to kill off opponents would return to haunt them through the
season as Grant refused to close down matches in the manner of his
predecessor, a resistance that ultimately cost them the title.
Watch
it again here
12. Carling Cup final: Chelsea 1, Tottenham Hotspur 2
After away defeats to United and Arsenal the first Cup final of the season was
seen as Grant’s first big test to prove himself in a big game, an
examination he comprehensively failed.
The Israeli’s decision to play Nicolas Anelka wide on the left for the first
time in his career back-fired as the French striker was utterly anonymous,
while the omission of the in-form Michael Ballack was simply perverse. The
post-mortem lasted much of the following week and, being Chelsea, was played
out in public, leaving serious question marks over Grant’s future.
Watch it again here
13. Barnsley 1, Chelsea 0: FA Cup defeat
Being on the wrong end of one cup upset could be regarded as unfortunate but
suffering two shock defeats in the space of a fortnight, particularly one of
this magnitude, left Grant on the brink.
Kayode Odejayi’s second half goal for Barnsley was enough to eliminate the FA
Cup holders, leaving them with just the Premier League and Champions League
to fight for, both of which appeared out of reach.
Watch it again
here
14. Tottenham Hotspur 4, Chelsea 4
A thrilling night at White Hart Lane will be remembered as one of the matches
of the season, though at the time seemed only to have provided the final
nail in Grant’s coffin. The manager was pilloried for his substitution of
Joe Cole, who had scored twice and was the best player on the pitch, which
sacrificed the initiative and enabled Spurs to grab a late equaliser through
Robbie Keane after being behind entire match. Grant appeared jinxed, as even
when he attempted to shore up a game it back-fired.
Watch it again here
15. Chelsea 2, Arsenal 1; Drogba beats Arsenal
The turning point in Chelsea’s season and possibly Grant’s entire career came
just four days later, as he took advantage of Arsenal’s fragility to secure
a first win against a top four club and throw the title race wide open.
And to make things better Grant even contributed, with his gamble in switching
to 4-4-2 and throwing on Nicolas Anelka and Juliano Belletti vindicated as
Drogba scored twice to dent Arsenal’s championship challenge.
Watch
it again here
16. Chelsea 1, Wigan Athletic 1: Emile Heskey equaliser
Perhaps more than any other this match encapsulated Chelsea’s roller-coaster
season and the manager’s high-wire act, with the team booed off following a
dreadful first half and returning to play some of their best football of the
campaign before being denied at the death.
Emile Heskey’s 90th-minute equaliser in front of the Shed silenced the stadium
and, as well as moving Wigan closer to safety, may ultimately have decided
the title race.
Watch it again here
17. Liverpool 1, Chelsea 1: John Arne Riise own-goal
By keeping Chelsea in contention in the Premier League and Champions League
Grant had already demonstrated he was a competent manager, but an incredible
night at Anfield showed that, even more importantly, he was also a lucky
one.
Liverpool had been on top all evening and should have taken a two or
three-goal lead before Riise’s moment of madness, stooping low to head
Salomon Kalou’s cross into his own net rather than clear with his weaker
right foot. Mourinho must have been cursing his misfortune in Portugal as
much as Rafael Benitez on the sidelines.
Watch it again here
18. Chelsea 2, Manchester United 1: Michael Ballack penalty
With the FA still investigating what triggered the Battle of Stamford Bridge
the fall-out from this match will rumble on for some time, but for Chelsea
the true significance of an unforgettable afternoon was the three points
that put renewed pressure on United. That they got them was due to the
steely nerve of Ballack, who backed up his comments from earlier in the week
that Germans do not need to practice penalties.
Watch
it again here
19: Chelsea 3, Liverpool 2: Frank Lampard penalty
The night in which Grant finally stepped out of the shadow of his predecessor
by guiding Chelsea to the first Champions League final in their history,
though typically he was denied the limelight even on this occasion because
of the contribution of Frank Lampard.
The England midfield player’s courage in stepping up to take the crucial
penalty was rightly lauded, a shining example of human bravery that
transcended its context, and will be remembered by many as the moment of the
season.
Watch it again here
20. Chelsea 1, Bolton Wanderers 1
Matthew Taylor's injury time equaliser from Alex's poor clearance sums up
Chelsea's season, in which they have demonstrated commendable spirit and
given everything, but ultimately been shown up as second best to United.
Their biggest weakness has been a failure to hold onto leads late in
matches, as previously happened against Aston Villa, Tottenham Hotpsur and
Wigan Athletic, before Bolton's late leveller.
