Having spent Sunday evening lying in a darkened room, the changing of the clocks and the weather not the only reason it felt like winter was stretching ahead, After The Whistle woke on Monday morning wanting to do one thing only - celebrate!
As stomach-churningly disappointing as it was to lose for the first time under Felipe Scolari and to lose our place at the top of the table, there was a case for the Chelsea players to have been given a standing ovation as they left the Stamford Bridge pitch.
Maybe the fact the magnificent record-breaking undefeated English league run ended against Liverpool of all clubs was too galling for that, but with the help of a few hours healing time, a virtual ovation is to be given here.
The 86 Premier League matches the team went unbeaten on home turf is a very special achievement indeed, not just surpassing Liverpool's previous best but knocking it out of sight by 23 additional games - a 37 per cent increase.
The run is now part of Chelsea past rather than our present, and an important (it was the foundation of back-to-back title wins) and cherished part of our history it will forever remain. It is history any club would want against its name.
Further below is a full statistical breakdown of the four-and-a-half years of fortress Stamford Bridge, courtesy of club statistician Paul Dutton.
In game one against Fulham in March 2003, John Terry and Frank Lampard were on the pitch, as they would be at the end. Wayne Bridge, a sub yesterday, also played and only injury has prevented Joe Cole from 'book-ending' the run.
Lampard played in all but nine of the 86, Terry missed just four more. A total of 64 players were involved. The first goal of the run was scored by Eidur Gudjohnsen (pictured below), the last by Nicolas Anelka.
Six of the games were with Claudio Ranieri in charge, 16 under Avram Grant, four were this season which leaves 60 matches under José Mourinho's stewardship. There must be plenty of season ticket holders who saw the lot.
The biggest win was the 6-0 thumping of Sven Goran Eriksson's previously high-flying Man City a year ago, Derby were hit 6-1 last season, five goals were also scored on two occasions; four goals on another 12.
A major feature of the run was so few of the games when anyone felt it was in danger.
Arsenal were the best at running it close, responsible for two afternoons when even the more optimistic Blues fans were beginning to wonder.
Michael Essien's swerving rocket - voted the club's Goal of the Season for 2006/7, was the most famous salvation shot, an 84th minute equaliser.
The Blues were 1-0 down to the Gunners again last March going into the 74th minute. That was before Drogba shot them down with two goals in six minutes (pictured below), the introduction of Nicolas Anelka and Juliano Belletti two minutes before the equaliser considered by many to have been crucial.
There were 80 minutes on the clock when Kalou headed an equaliser against Man United last month but it was a team from outside the regular top four who worried us in the first championship-winning year, a Didier Drogba goal with nine minutes to go levelling a lead given to Birmingham by Walter Pandiani in the 65th minute.
Those four games apart, the unbeaten status rarely wobbled, unless you start to consider games when the opposition missed late chances with the scores level.
Aston Villa the day they ended a six-game winning start to 2006/7 season was one such side; Fulham with chances at the Shed End late on in the first home game after Mourinho had gone, a 0-0 draw. And then there was game that tied with Liverpool's previous 63 game best - the final home match of 2006/7 when Everton's James McFadden had a goal controversially disallowed with three minutes to go and the score 1-1.
There were some other less publicised runs that came to an end with the final whistle on Sunday. We celebrate those here too:
106 consecutive domestic matches unbeaten at Stamford Bridge (if penalty shoot-outs are excluded).
Scored in 20 consecutive Premier League matches and unbeaten in 29 League games since defeat at Arsenal on December on December 16 2007.
Unfortunately our 74 games unbeaten at home in all competitions since our defeat on February 22nd 2006 against Barcelona falls short of Liverpool's English record in all competitions of 85 matches set between 1978 and 1981.
Record breaking unbeaten home league record - statistical breakdown
Our top-flight record unbeaten home league finally ended on 86 matches on Sunday October 26th 2008 when Liverpool beat us 1-0. It was our first defeat since Saturday February 21st 2004 when Arsenal beat won 2-1. The full record is played 86, won 62, drawn 24, lost none; goals scored 175, against 44. Liverpool's old English league record stood at 63 games. Our undefeated run is as follows:
| 2003/04 | |||
| 1 | Sat Mar 20 | Fulham | 2-1 |
| 2 | Sat Mar 27 | Wolves | 5-2 |
| 3 | Sat Apr 10 | Middlesbrough | 0-0 |
| 4 | Sat Apr 17 | Everton | 0-0 |
| 5 | Sat May 1 | Southampton | 4-0 |
| 6 | Sat May 15 | Leeds | 1-0 |
| 2004/05 | |||
| 7 | Sun Aug 15 | Man Utd | 1-0 |
| 8 | Sat Aug 28 | Southampton | 2-1 |
| 9 | Sun Sep 19 | Tottenham | 0-0 |
| 10 | Sun Oct 3 | Liverpool | 1-0 |
| 11 | Sat Oct 23 | Blackburn | 4-0 |
| 12 | Sat Nov 6 | Everton | 1-0 |
| 13 | Sat Nov 20 | Bolton | 2-2 |
| 14 | Sat Dec 4 | Newcastle | 4-0 |
| 15 | Sat Dec 18 | Norwich | 4-0 |
| 16 | Sun Dec 26 | Aston Villa | 1-0 |
| 17 | Tue Jan 4 | Middlesbrough | 2-0 |
| 18 | Sat Jan 22 | Portsmouth | 3-0 |
| 19 | Sun Feb 6 | Man City | 0-0 |
| 20 | Tue Mar 15 | West Brom | 1-0 |
| 21 | Sat Mar 19 | Crystal Palace | 4-1 |
| 22 | Sat Apr 9 | Birmingham | 1-1 |
| 23 | Wed Apr 20 | Arsenal | 0-0 |
| 24 | Sat Apr 23 | Fulham | 3-1 |
| 25 | Sat May 7 | Charlton | 1-0 |
| 2005/06 | |||
| 26 | Sun Aug 21 | Arsenal | 1-0 |
| 27 | Wed Aug 24 | West Brom | 4-0 |
| 28 | Sat Sep 10 | Sunderland | 2-0 |
| 29 | Sat Sep 24 | Aston Villa | 2-1 |
| 30 | Sat Oct 15 | Bolton | 5-1 |
| 31 | Sat Oct 29 | Blackburn | 4-2 |
| 32 | Sat Nov 19 | Newcastle | 3-0 |
| 33 | Sat Dec 3 | Middlesbrough | 1-0 |
| 34 | Sat Dec 10 | Wigan | 1-0 |
| 35 | Mon Dec 26 | Fulham | 3-2 |
| 36 | Sat Dec 31 | Birmingham | 2-0 |
| 37 | Sun Jan 22 | Charlton | 1-1 |
| 38 | Sun Feb 5 | Liverpool | 2-0 |
| 39 | Sat Feb 25 | Portsmouth | 2-0 |
| 40 | Sat Mar 11 | Tottenham | 2-1 |
| 41 | Sat Mar 25 | Man City | 2-0 |
| 42 | Sun Apr 9 | West Ham | 4-1 |
| 43 | Mon Apr 17 | Everton | 3-0 |
| 44 | Sat Apr 29 | Man Utd | 3-0 |
| 2006/07 | |||
| 45 | Sun Aug 20 | Man City | 3-0 |
| 46 | Sat Sep 9 | Charlton | 2-1 |
| 47 | Sun Sep 17 | Liverpool | 1-0 |
| 48 | Sat Sep 30 | Aston Villa | 1-1 |
| 49 | Sat Oct 21 | Portsmouth | 2-1 |
| 50 | Sat Nov 11 | Watford | 4-0 |
| 51 | Sat Nov 18 | West Ham | 1-0 |
| 52 | Sun Dec 10 | Arsenal | 1-1 |
| 53 | Wed Dec 13 | Newcastle | 1-0 |
| 54 | Tue Dec 26 | Reading | 2-2 |
| 55 | Sat Dec 30 | Fulham | 2-2 |
| 56 | Sat Jan 13 | Wigan | 4-0 |
| 57 | Wed Jan 31 | Blackburn | 3-0 |
| 58 | Sat Feb 10 | Middlesbrough | 3-0 |
| 59 | Sat Mar 17 | Sheffield Utd | 3-0 |
| 60 | Sat Apr 7 | Tottenham | 1-0 |
| 61 | Sat Apr 28 | Bolton | 2-2 |
| 62 | Wed May 9 | Man Utd | 0-0 |
| 63 | Sun May 13 | Everton | 1-1 |
| 2007/08 | |||
| 64 | Sun Aug 12 | Birmingham | 3-2 |
| 65 | Sat Aug 25 | Portsmouth | 1-0 |
| 66 | Sat Sep 15 | Blackburn | 0-0 |
| 67 | Sat Sep 29 | Fulham | 0-0 |
| 68 | Sat Oct 27 | Man City | 6-0 |
| 69 | Sun Nov 11 | Everton | 1-1 |
| 70 | Sat Dec 1 | West Ham | 1-0 |
| 71 | Sat Dec 8 | Sunderland | 2-0 |
| 72 | Wed Dec 26 | Aston Villa | 4-4 |
| 73 | Sat Dec 29 | Newcastle | 2-1 |
| 74 | Sat Jan 12 | Tottenham | 2-0 |
| 75 | Wed Jan 30 | Reading | 1-0 |
| 76 | Sun Feb 10 | Liverpool | 0-0 |
| 77 | Wed Mar 12 | Derby | 6-1 |
| 78 | Sun Mar 23 | Arsenal | 2-1 |
| 79 | Sun Mar 30 | Middlesbrough | 1-0 |
| 80 | Mon Apr 14 | Wigan | 1-1 |
| 81 | Sat Apr 26 | Man Utd | 2-1 |
| 82 | Sun May 11 | Bolton | 1-1 |
| 2008/09 | |||
| 83 | Sun Aug 17 | Portsmouth | 4-0 |
| 84 | Sun Aug 31 | Tottenham | 1-1 |
| 85 | Sun Sep 21 | Man Utd | 1-1 |
| 86 | Sun Oct 5 | Aston Villa | 2-0 |
Appearances
Lampard 76+1, Terry 73, Cech 60, Carvalho 52+2, J Cole 50+14, Drogba 43+17, Essien 43+4, Makelele 39+5, Ferreira 36+5, Gallas 34+1, Gudjohnsen 28+9, Bridge 27+4, Robben 25+10, A Cole 26+2, Wright-Phillips 24+18, Kalou 23+10, Duff 23+9, Ballack 23+3, Mikel 17+11, Gérémi 17+9, Shevchenko 17+8, Melchiot 17+3, Cudicini 15+1, Crespo 14+4, Del Horno 14, Belletti 12+4, Alex 12+3, Johnson 10+4, Tiago 9+8, Malouda 8+5, Anelka 8+4, Huth 8+3, Hilário 7, Smertin 5+3, Pizarro 4+6, Ben-Haim 4+2, Boulahrouz 4+2, Diarra 4+2, Grønkjær 4+1, Ambrosio 4, Bosingwa 4, Sidwell 3+5, Hasselbaink 3+1, Babayaro 3, Desailly 3, Kezman 2+13, Parker 2+4, Deco 2, Jarosik 1+5, Maniche 1+3, Sinclair 1+1, Ivanovic 1, Mutu 1, C Cole 0+3, Sahar 0+3, Di Santo 0+2, N Morais 0+2, Verón 0+2, Forssell 0+1, Hutchinson 0+1, Nicolas 0+1, Oliveira 0+1, Pidgeley 0+1, Stanic 0+1.
Goals
Drogba 39, Lampard 29 (6 pens), J Cole 11, Gudjohnsen 8 (1 pen), Shevchenko 8 (1 pen), Essien 7, Kalou 7, Robben 7, Ballack 6, Duff 6, Crespo 5, Gallas 5, Carvalho 4, Terry 4, Hasselbaink 3, Kezman 3 (1 pen), Anelka 2, Belletti 2, Gérémi 2, Alex 1, Deco 1, Grønkjær 1, Johnson 1, Makelele 1, Malouda 1, Melchiot 1, Pizarro 1, Tiago 1, Wright-Phillips 1. There were seven own goals scored by Beattie and Crainie (Southampton), Zhizanishvili (Blackburn), Rosenior (Fulham), Kirkland (Wigan), Xavier (Middlesbrough) and Jaaskelainen (Bolton).
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