On Monday night, for the second season in succession, Eden Hazard scored the goal that secured the Premier League title. It's just a shame that this time it wasn't on Chelsea's behalf. Not that that would have been instantly recognisable given the bedlam that enveloped Stamford Bridge as his first time shot arced perfectly into the top corner of the Tottenham goal to seal a 2-2 draw that sent the trophy to Leicester City.
For the home side, as chastening as it might be to admit, their entire season had boiled down to this match and the opportunity to deny their London rivals the championship to Leicester's benefit. The Chelsea supporters had demanded that the players rise to the occasion and they ended up exhibiting the same passion as the fans. It is just a shame that it came nine months after the start of the season.
As much as the majority inside the stadium were keen to thwart Tottenham's advance to top spot in the table, there was equal motivation to help a former favourite lift the Premier League trophy.
Claudio Ranieri was a hugely popular manager at Chelsea and remains prominent in the fans' affections as could be heard when his name was sung in all corners on the ground after the whistle.
The ultimate removal from his post in 2004 was understandable especially given some baffling tactical changes that cost the club the chance of Champions League glory and the opportunity to recruit a young and hungry Jose Mourinho. Nevertheless, he always acted with the utmost dignity in the face of some appalling treatment by the club's hierarchy in his final weeks in the job, especially former chief executive Peter Kenyon.
It is also recognised that he signed players that would become legends of the club and the heartbeat of Chelsea's future success, like Frank Lampard and Petr Cech. He also gave Chelsea supporters one of their greatest ever nights when Lampard and Wayne Bridge scored the goals in a famous 2-1 win over Arsenal -- the so-called "Invincibles" -- at Highbury in the second leg of the Champions League quarterfinals. Ranieri's tears as he celebrated the winner cemented his place in the hearts of Chelsea supporters.
For the current crop of players, the second half fight back from two goals down against Spurs in a highly charged affair can hopefully serve as the first step towards redemption. In a listless campaign that has had vastly more lows that highs, the stirring response to a disappointing first half at least revealed that a fire still burns in the bellies of these players and that the qualities that were on show when the title was won last season had not completely disappeared.
The clearest example was Eden Hazard whose display after coming on at half-time was reminiscent of those that saw him crowned PFA and FWA Player of the Year for 2014-15. Quite why it has taken until now for the 25-year-old to rediscover his mojo is unknown, though is perhaps a simple consequence of playing regular first-team football for club and country since he was 17. If the malaise is finally out of his system, it bodes very well for next season.
Another encouraging point for the players was how they managed not to get too embroiled in the physical provocation prompted by Tottenham's desperation and frustration. Special mention must be made of Diego Costa, a player who takes every touch of the ball by an opposing player as a personal affront. While never shirking the chance for confrontation, he managed to keep his actions just about in check at every flashpoint while also getting stuck into several rugged but fair tackles.
Given some of the reprehensible acts that Costa suffered, notably the attempted eye-gouging by Mousa Dembele (which must surely result in a lengthy suspension), it is commendable that this usually combustible character largely kept a handle on his emotions.
Yet despite the game ending in a positive way, it was not a perfect evening from a performance point of view. Both of Tottenham's goals were handed to them on a plate and the first half seemed to be the perfect encapsulation of Chelsea's season.
Although Willian appeared to be fouled in the build up to the opener, the Blues still hand plenty of time to organise themselves defensively but still managed to leave a striker of Harry Kane's exceptional quality unmarked in the penalty area. The second goal was arguably even worse from a Chelsea perspective with a loose pass from the erratic Branislav Ivanovic to John Obi Mikel easily snuffed out and the back line instantly carved open as a result.
For the umpteenth time this campaign, Chelsea had been the architects of their own downfall.
This time, thankfully, they managed to dig themselves out of it with a show of character and determination. It's just a shame it took until their 35th game of the season for it to finally happen.
