After two emotionally draining excursions to the North-West of England, it was time to welcome the newly-crowned champions back to Stamford Bridge.

A week earlier, on 30 April 2005, Chelsea had sealed our maiden Premier League title with victory at Bolton Wanderers. The second leg of our Champions League semi-final against Liverpool a few days later had not gone to plan, though, and we exited the competition on a frustrating night at Anfield.

A timeout was needed before the party could restart. Jose Mourinho gave his players the Wednesday and the Thursday off, and then attention turned to the visit of Charlton Athletic. After playing in front of our home fans for the first time since becoming champions, John Terry and co would get their hands on the trophy.

‘Tomorrow is the last day to enjoy and then we have to look forward,’ Jose Mourinho, never one to rest on his laurels, insisted at his pre-match press conference.

Charlton made the journey west having not won in seven, but they proved sticky opposition during a largely uneventful game, succumbing only to a last-minute winner from Claude Makelele.

The popular Frenchman, integral to the team’s success in a holding midfield role, was given the chance to break his Chelsea duck from the penalty spot following the controversial award of a spot-kick that looked neither like a foul, nor to have taken place inside the box. Whatever, Makelele stepped up, had his tame effort saved, but just about succeeded in smuggling the rebound into the net. Cue further pandemonium at an already ecstatic Bridge!

Before the 2005 Chelsea team lifted the trophy, 13 members of Chelsea’s first title winners from 1955 were brought out. John Terry and Frank Lampard handed over the trophy to them that was never publicly presented 50 years ago. It was a wonderful addition to the occasion.

Then it was on to the main event. Players and staff were brought out of the tunnel, one by one, to rapturous acclaim from all four stands. Many Charlton fans stayed behind to applaud, although some were wearing a suspicious amount of blue!

Roy Bentley and Stan Willemse, legends from the 1955 team, carried out the modern version of the trophy, lifted by Terry to the accompaniment of explosions and streamers. On a showery day, the sun beamed down.

There were tears, there was singing, and the players cracked open the champagne. An original bottle from that afternoon is pictured top.

Nobody wanted to go home. An impromptu football match broke out between the players’ kids in front of the Shed, Joe Cole roundly booed when he joined in. An hour after the final whistle had gone, the team reluctantly trooped off down the tunnel. Three of our longest-serving players at that time, Terry, Lampard and Eidur Gudjohnsen, were the last to leave, along with the trophy.

It had been one of the happiest days in Chelsea's history.

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