The duo were making their first appearances at the Bridge since hanging up their boots professionally when they lined up for our Legends against Liverpool, and some of the day’s biggest cheers were reserved for those Blues Premier League winners.

However, they were just two of many trophy-winning heroes from across the generations back out on the pitch in SW6 on a fantastic day of entertainment celebrating our history – despite a 1-0 loss – all while raising funds for the Chelsea Foundation.

‘At the end of the day, when the players go on the pitch they are competitive, so it was great to see that,’ said Di Matteo after the game. ‘They put effort in and it got a little bit fiery as well because they want to win.

‘So we're disappointed with the goal at the end but the main aspect of the game was to get all the players on the pitch and I want to say a huge thank you to all the players that came so far to come and join us in this charity game.

‘They're going to have a big impact on the lives of many people that will benefit from the money that was raised yesterday.

‘A huge congratulations to Liverpool. They came here and put on a good team as well so I think it was entertaining for the supporters and I want to say a massive thank you to the supporters that turned up.’

That competitive nature was certainly on show from Diego Costa, who picked up right where he left off in his epic duels with Liverpool defender Martin Skrtel, even picking up an early booking for old times' sake.

‘I love it, I love him,’ grinned Di Matteo. ‘He is a fantastic personality. You know you need fiery players like that.

‘In my Chelsea team as a player we used to have Dennis Wise, who would rattle the opposition a little bit. So I understand why managers loved to have Diego in their team!’

The Brazilian-born striker was reunited on the pitch with his old team-mate Hazard and the latter is a player our UEFA Champions League-winning head coach knows well, having worked with him when he first arrived in west London from Lille.

‘He was obviously a special player. From the first minute that he wore the Chelsea shirt, I think everybody fell in love with him,’ added the Italian.

‘He arrived in 2012 when I was in charge and you could see the talent that he had, even though he was only 21 back then. He showed his capabilities and his qualities over the years and had a very successful stint here with us.

‘Thank you to him that he came and showed again some of his qualities. I think the people absolutely loved seeing him on the pitch for Chelsea yesterday.’