In a transitional season that was a bit like the curate’s egg, it was very pleasing that we had so many choices for Match of the Season. But, we have to nail it down to three nominations.
Those that didn’t make the cut included the comedic demolition of Spurs at home featuring the old man Eto’o and his goal celebration; the fantastic win away at Man City becoming the first team to beat them at home in the League. Also, this match was the first match of the season where we began to believe that we might just win the title. A match that many forget is the Super Cup match with Bayern Munich, very early in the season. So early in fact that Romelu Lukaku missed the vital penalty in the shoot-out thereby denying us another European trophy. The fact remains that we went toe to toe with the European Champions and outplayed them for much of the match. But then, we were playing a Pep Guardiola side I suppose!
The three that made it are as follows:
PSG at home in the Champions’ League quarter final. We were up against it trailing 3-1 from the first leg. The media had written us off, but 99% of Chelsea supporters were more than confident that we’d ‘do it again’ and overturn a 3-1 deficit in this competition as we had against Napoli the year we won it. Some of us (me and Walter Otton) were to be frank – shitfaced – before the game as if it was covering up the nerves, but there was no need as Chelsea put in a powerful and disciplined performance coupled with a proper European night atmosphere to see the team home. Confirmed by Ba’s goal in the 86th minute that generated great touchline scenes, the players bouncing to One Step Beyond and an electric jubilant atmosphere. There is nothing like a European night game at Stamford Bridge, and this one was up there with Napoli, Vincenza and Brugges. Even more pleasing was that we had put in a very Chelsea performance with most of the new players taking the stage such as Schurrle and Willian.
The second nomination is for the victory at Anfield beating Liverpool 2-0. The loathing of the scousers has increased massively over the last few years, but this year with the monstrous media love in at the prospect of the History boys being in with a chance of winning the title for the first time since 1990, it scaled new heights. What could be better if you are a Chelsea supporter than to poop on Liverpool’s parade and in the process confirm Chelsea as the enemies of football and the most hated club in football by the media and the neutrals in the process!!
But the match came at the worst possible time for us. Liverpool were in the ascendancy, banging in goals for fun and had just beaten Man City. Chelsea were suffering from injuries 
and suspensions to key players, and were bound to have one eye on the Champions League semi-final three days later. The thought of losing this match and handing the title to Liverpool was too much to bear. But we and Liverpool did not count on Jose Mourinho and his ability to come up with a plan! He fielded a team that read as follows: Schwarzer; Azpilicueta; Ivanovic; Kalas; Cole; Matic; Mikel; Lampard; Salah; Ba; Schurrle. The reserve goalkeeper, Cole who had only played a couple of matches since the turn of the year and the youngster Tomas Kalas making his senior debut. We were without arguably our best attacking players this season in Hazard, Oscar and Willian and Ramires who is usually Jose’s first choice.
The team put in a phenomenal ‘rope-a-dope’ defensive display against Liverpool whose frustration was palpable after they went 1-0 down to a self-inflicted Steve Gerrard error. They were left resorting to long range shots for most of the second half before they were caught on the counter and Willian ably assisted by Torres put the game beyond doubt. Liverpool had been weighed and measured by the master tactician that is Jose Mourinho. Brendan Rogers was left whinging and looking very much the apprentice. The media and armchair fans all cried foul. We parked the bus, we were the enemies of football and we had cheated them. We didn’t care. We loved it. And in the process Liverpool’s title challenge now had more than a seed of doubt!
The final nomination goes to one of the most astonishing matches I have had the pleasure of witnessing at Stamford Bridge. The build-up before the match with Arsenal in the Premier League had focussed on Arsene Wenger’s 1000th match in charge and how he would ram Jose Mourinho’s acerbic accusation that he was a “Specialist in Failure” back down his throat. Within minutes of the kick-off, Samuel Eto’o had put us 1-0 up with a contender for goal of the season. 2 minutes later Andre Schurrle scored another beauty. On 16 minutes Andre Marriner comically sent off Kieran Gibbs in a case of mistaken identity and awarded Chelsea a penalty – coolly slotted away by Eden Hazard. 16 minutes gone. 3-0. Game over. Apart from it wasn’t. Chelsea continued to attack Arsenal at pace 
and pick them off. It was like men against boys. Wenger’s naïve tactics had been found out yet again. Oscar added a brace and even Mo Salah got in on the act to make it 6-0. The biggest drubbing we’d given the Latte boys for many a year. I swear I have never laughed at or during a match as much as I did this one, and the whole ground was singing and bouncing.
After the match, in rather jubilant form I caught up with Jason Cundy and Neil ‘Spy’ Barnett for a few post match drinks. Apparently I was rather drunk and foolishly did a live interview with LBC. They have never phoned me back since, and Jason and Neil laughed. What a great day!
If you want to vote for the Match of the Season then all you have to do is vote below. We will be revealing the results and discussing what we voted for on the Chelsea FanCast on Monday 19th May. Watch the show live at 19.00-21.00 GMT (Voting closes at 19.30 GMT) by going to sportstonightlive.com or on this website here or of course you can listen and post in the chat room at Mixlr.
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Chelsea agaisnt PSG at stamford bridge