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End-of-season report: Chelsea

:Headline: End-of-season report: Chelsea: ID:223756: from db_amp
Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at Chelsea's double-winning 2014-15 campaign.

Chelsea made the 2014-15 Premier League season theirs as a dominant showing across the campaign saw them crowned champions of England.

Jose Mourinho's side also made sure that they ended the year with more than one piece of silverware, going all the way in the League Cup.

However, they did not have it all their own way as surprise exits in both the Champions League and FA Cup attested.

Here, Sports Mole takes a closer look at the season from a West London perspective.

August

Mourinho worked with cool efficiency in the summer transfer market as he endeavoured to build a title-winning squad, bringing Diego Costa, Cesc Fabregas, Loic Remy and Filipe Luis to Stamford Bridge for a combined total of nearly £90m.

With a new look to the side, Chelsea got their Premier League campaign off to an emphatic start, winning their opening four matches.

Three of those victories came in August as Burnley, Leicester City and Everton were all brushed aside. The Blues' 6-3 triumph over Everton at Goodison Park was particularly entertaining, with five goals coming in 10 zany second-half minutes.

September

Their winning run continued into September thanks to a 4-2 victory over Swansea City on home soil before a highly-anticipated clash with Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium finished 1-1.

Andre Schurrle gave the visitors the lead in the second half, but an ironic twist saw Frank Lampard come off the bench to score an equaliser against his former club. A convincing 3-0 victory over Aston Villa followed as Chelsea sat firmly at the top of the table.

When the Champions League got underway midway through the month, the Blues were held to a 1-1 draw by Schalke 04 in their opening match in Group D. However, a 1-0 victory away to Sporting Lisbon soon cast aside any doubts over their European credentials.

Combined with a 2-1 win over Bolton Wanderers in the third round of the League Cup, Mourinho's men were looking imperious heading into October.

October

Chelsea maintained their unbeaten record in the Premier League this month, taking seven points from a possible nine.

A big London derby at home to Arsenal opened October, and it was Chelsea who tightened their grip at the top of the table with a 2-0 victory as goals from Eden Hazard and Costa separated the teams on a fiery afternoon at Stamford Bridge.

Another victory over local opponents - this time Crystal Palace - followed before a dramatic 1-1 draw with Manchester United left a bitter taste in the mouth for Mourinho and his players.

With Didier Drogba's header appearing as if it might be enough to see them leave Old Trafford with the points, Robin van Persie smashed in an equaliser for United in the final seconds to make it all square.

Champions League duties resumed with a 6-0 thrashing of NK Maribor, while a 2-1 victory at Shrewsbury Town put them through to the quarter-finals of the League Cup.

November

Important victories over Queens Park Rangers and Liverpool respectively made sure that the Blues kept themselves ahead of the pack as the end of 2014 moved into sight.

A late penalty from Hazard saw them beat QPR 2-1 before strikes from Gary Cahill and Costa secured them a hard-fought 2-1 win at Anfield.

It was three league victories in a row after the international break as they saw off West Bromwich Albion, though a goalless draw away to Sunderland suggested that Chelsea were not as ruthless as was imagined back in August.

On the European front, they sealed their place at the top of their Champions League group by drawing with Maribor and thrashing Schalke 5-0 in Germany.

December

Chelsea kept up their winning start in the league with a comfortable 3-0 victory at home to London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, but they were beaten for the first time in their next match as Newcastle United saw them off 2-1 at St James' Park. Was this a sign that the wheels were about to fall off the machine?

Not exactly. The Blues responded positively with wins over Hull City, Stoke City and West Ham United before a 1-1 draw away to high-flying Southampton rounded off an impressive 2014.

Meanwhile, a routine triumph against Sporting Lisbon ended their successful Champions League group campaign on a high, and a 3-1 win over Derby County put them into the semi-finals of the League Cup.

January

The New Year could hardly have got off to a worse start for the Blues as they suffered a chastening 5-3 defeat to Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane. Having been so ruthless at the back during the first half of the season, they were suddenly torn apart in shocking fashion by Harry Kane and his North London teammates.

Losing in such a way to their local rivals obviously hurt, and Chelsea made amends in their next two Premier League matches, dispatching of Newcastle United and Swansea City 2-0 and 5-0 respectively. Their final league fixture this month finished with another 1-1 draw against title rivals Manchester City as Remy's opener was cancelled out by David Silva.

A 3-0 victory over Watford eased the team into the FA Cup fourth round, but what followed in the next round was arguably the upset of the season.

Welcoming League One outfit Bradford City to Stamford Bridge, many would have been forgiven for presuming that the hosts were going to waltz into the next round. After going 2-0 up inside 38 minutes, this certainly looked to be the case. However, Bradford then staged an incredible comeback to stun Chelsea 4-2 and reignite everyone's faith in the magic of the FA Cup.

With their FA Cup campaign now over, Chelsea were able to steam ahead in the League Cup, beating Liverpool over two legs to reach the final. Following a 1-1 draw at Anfield, a 1-0 win on a high-octane evening at Stamford Bridge saw the hosts through.

There were also big changes behind the scenes at the club in January, with Fernando Torres, Mark Schwarzer, Schurrle and Ryan Bertrand all departing. Meanwhile, Fiorentina winger Juan Cuadrado was brought in for a fee of £23m, though the Colombian would find it hard to adapt to life in West London.

February

Normal service was resumed in the Premier League at the start of February as consecutive wins over Aston Villa and Everton kept Chelsea on course for the title.

They would end the month with a controversial 1-1 draw at home to Burnley, though they still held a healthy five-point lead at the top of the standings.

In the Champions League, the Blues were pitted against Paris Saint-Germain in the last 16 and left the French capital with a respectable 1-1 draw. Branislav Ivanovic gave the visitors the lead at the Parc des Princes before Edinson Cavani levelled things up.

March

Chelsea picked up their first piece of silverware of the season at the beginning of March as they beat Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 at Wembley Stadium to lift the League Cup.

John Terry and Costa got the goals to help manager Mourinho claim his first trophy since returning to the club in summer 2013.

Back to the Premier League and the Blues' dominant form continued with victories over West Ham United and Hull City, although a 1-1 draw with Southampton at Stamford Bridge saw their title charge suffer a minor setback.

If things were looking rosy on the domestic front, it all went wrong in the Champions League this month. Having drawn the first leg of their last-16 clash 1-1 with Paris Saint-Germain, a 2-2 draw after extra time on home turf sent the Blues packing in the competition. Furthermore, a failure to dispatch of PSG after they had a man sent off all added to the club's misery.

April

With the end of the Premier League season now in sight and just the title to focus on, Chelsea put their foot on the gas in April to put themselves on the brink of glory.

Four wins out of five matches moved them to within three points of the title, with those triumphs coming against Stoke City, Queens Park Rangers, Manchester United and Leicester City. Their victory over United was particularly important, with Hazard's goal getting them over the line on a cagey afternoon in West London.

The only match that they failed to win during April was a goalless draw at Arsenal, though the celebrations of the Chelsea players after the match told you that they knew it was an vital point in their quest for the league crown.

May

While it may have seemed like a formality, Chelsea finally won the Premier League title on May 3 as they beat Crystal Palace 1-0 at Stamford Bridge thanks to a goal from the ever-influential Hazard.

There were dropped points in their next match with a 1-1 draw against Liverpool, while a rare defeat was inflicted at The Hawthorns in their penultimate game of the season when they were brushed aside 3-0 by West Bromwich Albion.

However, the champions made sure that the finished their campaign in fitting style, coming from behind to ease past Sunderland 3-1 on home turf.

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