The year was 2020 but the month, for the first time in Premier League history, was not May. The Covid-19 pandemic had significantly disrupted the footballing calendar and for 15 weeks no games took place in this country.

Before the interruption, with 29 games of the season played, Frank Lampard’s Chelsea were placed in fourth, the last Champions League position, and three points clear of Manchester United. We returned to action at Villa Park on 21 June 2020, winning 2-1 with no supporters present, and Blues fans watching from home acclimatising to fake crowd noise.

The NHS logo was ironed onto our shirts between the club badge and the Nike tick, as a small way of recognising the incredible work our healthcare system and the emergency services had done in extremely testing circumstances as the virus swept through the country. That logo would remain on the shirts for the rest of the season. A version created for the 2020 FA Cup final is in the museum, and pictured above.

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The Blues won five and lost three of our eight league games after the restart, taking us into the final day of the season on 63 points. We were still in fourth but now behind Man United on goal difference, and ahead of fifth-placed Leicester by a single point.

Those two teams were meeting at the King Power Stadium, while we hosted Wolves, stationed in sixth and with European aspirations of their own. A victory for Nuno Espirito Santos’ side would guarantee more Europa League football for the club from Molineux. They had only lost four away games all season.

For Chelsea, the equation was simple. Beat Wolves and Champions League football for 2020/21 was ours. If Man United won in the east Midlands, we would also be assured of fourth place. It all made for an intriguing set of circumstances for the final 90 minutes of a drawn-out league season.

‘We will approach the game to win it,’ stressed Lampard. ‘There is no other way to approach a game of football. We will do that, prepare right, respect our opponent. They are very good, we have seen that all season, we are aware of the situation but we will try to win.

‘We have the opportunity of top four and it’s a huge game. I’ll approach it as I see right in terms of what I say to the players and how we set up on the day. I know how strongly I feel about this weekend and how up for it I am. I will try to convey that to the players, and the rest is down to them on the pitch. I have a real sense the players understand the position we’re in.’

Chelsea, going for a sixth home league win in a row, showed great intent from the off. Olivier Giroud headed over early on, and aside from an overhit cross that Willy Caballero did well to claw away, Wolves threatened little.

We made our move in first-half stoppage time. Mason Mount curled a free-kick into the corner, and then Giroud continued his fine form with a finish that blended skill and power. He went third in the list of French Premier League goalscorers in the process (behind Thierry Henry and Nicolas Anelka), and the shirt the striker wore that season is signed and in our World Cup winners’ cabinet in the Museum.

The Blues saw out the second half with little alarm, and with Man United taking the lead at Leicester 20 minutes from time, there was no doubt our top-four spot was safe.

The relatively muted celebrations at full-time not only pointed to the FA Cup final around the corner, but the fact there were no Chelsea supporters inside the Bridge to celebrate the achievement with.

‘It was a moment I would have liked to have enjoyed with the fans at the end because we have been very together this year, and the support from the fans during some inconsistent and difficult times has been huge,’ Lampard reacted afterwards.

‘I want to thank them from afar because the achievement of the top four is for them first and foremost, and we look forward to having them back.’

It would not be until August 2021, over a year later, that Stamford Bridge would be at capacity again. For that fixture, against Crystal Palace, Blues fans were welcoming the European champions back home following our triumph in Porto. Qualifying for the Champions League on the final day of the elongated 2019/20 season had most certainly paid off.

You can find out more about our history and see amazing artefacts in the flesh at the Chelsea FC Museum at Stamford Bridge!