Chelsea have finally come to the end of their 2021/22 season after winning two trophies and finishing third in the Premier League on the final day.
The Blues have had nothing short of a roller coaster of a season with injuries and a club takeover adding to the drama that is already being shown on the pitch.
Thomas Tuchel has been able to guide the west London side to another two pieces of silverware, having won the Super Cup and Club World Cup.
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Despite a poor run of form during the latter stages of the campaign, Chelsea have been able to secure Champions League football once again as they finished third in the table behind Manchester City and Liverpool.
The beginning of the campaign saw the Blues beat Villarreal in the Super Cup final, with Kepa Arrizabalaga saving a crucial penalty in the shootout in Belfast.
An opening day victory against Crystal Palace saw Trevoh Chalobah score his first ever goal for the club, with the defender going on to be a key part of the squad in his debut season in the senior squad.
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Tuchel's side were then able to beat Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur away from home as they looked to make a challenge for this season's title.
Two losses at the end of September would soon be followed by a run of 12 matches unbeaten in all competitions, including the 7-0 thrashing of Norwich City in the league and 4-0 win against Juventus in the Champions League group stages.
However at the start of December, the Blues would be unable to continue their great run of form as they entered a heavily congested festive period.
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While they only lost once throughout the whole month some of their results were below par, especially considering they wanted to maintain a challenge for the title against Manchester City and Liverpool.
Draws against Everton, Wolves and Brighton would see them lose pace on the league leaders, with a large number of injuries and an outbreak of Covid-19 within the squad being detrimental to their form.
At the start of 2022, Chelsea were able to knock Spurs out of the Carabao Cup at the semi-final stage after a 3-0 aggregate win over their London rivals; they would then make it three wins from three at the end of January with a 2-0 victory at Stamford Bridge.
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After the international break the Blues travelled to the United Arab Emirates as they prepared to compete in the Club World Cup after their Champions League triumph in May 2021.
They beat Al Hilal 1-0 in the semi-finals before beating Palmeiras 2-1 in extra time to win the trophy for the first time, with Kai Havertz scoring the decisive goal once again for his side.
However the end of the month would soon be met with Carabao Cup final heartbreak against Liverpool, with Chelsea losing on penalties at Wembley Stadium.
In the following days, Roman Abramovich would put the club up for sale and the future of the Blues would be thrown into doubt for the next few weeks.
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Six wins from six in all competitions would put their cup final heartbreak behind them, but results after the final international break of the season would cause a nervy end to the campaign.
Losses at home to Brentford and Real Madrid in the space of a few days would put pressure on the Blues as they entered the latter stages of the year.
Despite a spirited comeback at the Santiago Bernabeu, in which Chelsea at one point led 3-0, they were knocked out of the Champions League by Madrid in extra time.
Tuchel's side would soon advance to the FA Cup final though with a 2-0 win over Crystal Palace.
Two wins, two draws and two losses in the league would follow though but while a top four finish was still expected, Spurs and Arsenal were slowly creeping closer to the reigning European Champions.
An FA Cup final loss against Liverpool would mean Chelsea will have to settle for just two trophies this season but a third placed finish in the Premier League was all but confirmed after their draw against Leicester, with their final day victory over Watford officially confirming such a position.
Chelsea played a total of 63 games in all competitions since August last year and Tuchel and his side are finally able to end such a dramatic and fluctuating campaign, with another two trophies being secured along the way.
A huge summer now lies ahead of them and with the consortium led by Todd Boehly and Clearlake Capital announced as the new owners of the club the Blues' future could look very different, but it still has the potential to be as successful as recent seasons.
Topics: Chelsea
Robert Calcutt