Chelsea should be fresh for their return to Champions League action on Wednesday, having had the weekend off following what could be considered a perfect week last time out.
The Blues picked up the first domestic silverware of the season by beating Tottenham 2-0 in the Capital One Cup final, before earning a hard fought 1-0 victory over West Ham at Upton Park to maintain their five point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Add to this the fact Manchester City were beaten previously at Liverpool, Chelsea can widen the gap to eight points with a win away to Leicester in their game in hand – a gap which surely City would struggle to close with just ten Premier League matches remaining.
A treble is still very much on for Jose Mourinho, whose side have been without a doubt the dominant side in the country this season.
Here we have identified five of the best moments so far in what is shaping up to be a 2014-15 season to remember for Chelsea fans.
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Click on Jose Mourinho to reveal 5 best moments of Chelsea’s 2014/15 season
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Everton 3-6 Chelsea
The criticism of Chelsea last season was that they were not capable of scoring enough goals, with Fernando Torres, Demba Ba and Samuel Eto’o often struggling as the central striker. Yet you could tell this season was going to be a different story after just three matches.
The 6-3 win over Everton at Goodison Park was an early contender for game of the season – despite Jose Mourinho insisting he was unhappy with his side’s level of defending.
Diego Costa in particular shone, scoring twice to take his tally for the season to four goals already. Branislav Ivanovic, Nemanja Matic, Ramires and an own goal from Seamus Coleman completed the rout, and maintained Chelsea’s 100% start to the season.
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal
Any victory over Arsenal is a special moment in a Chelsea fans season, and they have become pretty regular with Jose Mourinho in charge.
This 2-0 win in October may not have been as emphatic as the 6-0 thrashing last season, but it was just as effective.
Arsene Wenger’s men saw themselves dumped out of the title challenge early on, as Mourinho’s men produced a professional and classy performance at Stamford Bridge.
Eden Hazard won and then converted a penalty in the first half, before Diego Costa sealed the win after yet another assist from Cesc Fabregas.
The fact Arsenal did not manage a shot on target until the final five minutes showed just how dominant Chelsea were, and maintained Mourinho’s unbeaten record against his great rival Wenger.
Swansea 0-5 Chelsea
There have been a few faultless performances from Chelsea this season, with their 5-0 thrashing of Swansea at the Liberty Stadium in January one of those.
Oscar had put the Blues in front with a contender for the fastest goal of the season, and Mourinho’s side did not look back.
The Brazilian added a second, whilst Diego Costa also continued his excellent form in front of goal with another brace.
Andre Schurrle completed the rout with what proved to be his final goal in a Chelsea shirt.
Mourinho described his team as producing ‘the perfect game’, after the result opened up a five point gap between the Blues and Manchester City at the top of the table – a gap they have failed to close since.
Chelsea 1-0 Liverpool (AET)
Chelsea and Liverpool have formed one of English football’s most heated rivalries in the last ten years, and this Capital One Cup semi final second leg was an example of that.
In a feisty game at Stamford Bridge, it was Chelsea who came out on top following a 1-1 draw in the first leg at Anfield the previous week.
Branislav Ivanovic began his run of scoring important goals with a headed winner in extra time, which confirmed it would be Jose Mourinho’s side heading to Wembley to contest the first silverware of the season, at the expense of a side they have firmly held the upper hand over in recent seasons – and thoroughly enjoyed doing so.
Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
And so to that final last week, and the start of what was a perfect week for Chelsea and their supporters.
It will hardly be remembered as a vintage Wembley showpiece, but a typical Mourinho final.
The Blues soaked up some early pressure, and scored their goals at exactly the right time, with John Terry and Diego Costa ensuring it would be Chelsea who came out on top in this London derby, and provided Mourinho with his first piece of silverware since returning to Stamford Bridge.
