Strong start

The Blues flew out of the gates with a memorable 6-2 victory at Molineux in only our second Premier League match, before Cole Palmer lit up the Bridge with a mesmeric display against Brighton in September.

During that 4-2 win, Cole became the first player to score four goals before half-time in a single Premier League match, heading towards the October international break with a fourth straight victory in all competitions.

Supporters in attendance and watching around the world will certainly never forget his free-kick - the pick of the bunch from beyond 25 yards.

It helped us maintain a strong start to the season, with Enzo Maresca's side able to build on this throughout the autumn months as we pushed towards the higher echelons of the table.

Learning to overcome adversity

Although we would suffer defeat to Liverpool following the international interval, the Blues showed our credentials against the eventual champions at Anfield.

In a game that the hosts ultimately came out on top in - in terms of the scoreline at least -, the Blues showed how we can challenge with the best in the Premier League. As Liverpool boss Arne Slot alluded to with his glowing post-match comments about Chelsea.

'It was good to win the game but I also saw how difficult it was, how difficult Chelsea made [it] for us,' Slot said in October. 'In my opinion, if I would be sitting as the Chelsea manager I would say, if we can play like this at Anfield, we are also one of the teams that can compete for [a] top-four position.

'In an ideal world we would've outplayed them completely. That's definitely not what we did. It was an equal game, in my opinion. They were probably the best team we have faced. There were phases in the game where we had to work really hard not to concede, but it's very pleasing to see that is also what we did.'

And despite not being rewarded for our battling and spirited display, Chelsea would resume our unbeaten run in the league and wouldn't taste defeat again for nine games.

During that streak, most impressively, we would come back from two early goals at Spurs to win a remarkable game 4-3. Once again, Cole was one of the stars of the show, as his brace from the penalty spot - including a cheeky Panenka - helped us overcome our opponents from north London.

Although the winter brought its challenges, matches like our victory over Tottenham set the tone and momentum for the rest of our campaign, instilling the belief in the Blues that we could turn any game around.

Fulham turnaround

That spirit was never more evident than in the final 10 minutes of our west London derby against Fulham on Matchday 33, when, despite trailing 1-0, goals from Tyrique George and Pedro Neto secured a stunning comeback.

And with the Blues under extreme pressure to secure a positive result at Craven Cottage, we were able to take all three points from our neighbours.

The win saw us return to the Champions League positions, as we went level on points with Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa heading into the final few games of the season.

Many point to this contest as crucial in our season – the Blues went on to win four of the next five against the likes of league champions Liverpool, Manchester United and Forest.

A full-circle moment too, perhaps, given it was our defeat to the Whites on Boxing Day that started a tough run over the Christmas period for the Blues. Some would say it was fitting, that the victory on the banks of the Thames would spark such a strong end to the season for us.

Balancing Conference League ambitions

Alongside our aspirations in the Premier League, we were also busy battling in Europe in our bid to win the Conference League.

From Greece to Kazakhstan, and from Sweden to Poland, the Blues darted around the continent in search of another European trophy.

Managing the squad was tricky during the busy campaign while also keeping an inevitable eye on domestic football, but your Blues were able to secure the only European trophy without our name on it after beating Real Betis in Wroclaw - also coming back from a goal down.

Final day drama

It all culminated in a final-day showdown with Nottingham Forest. The Blues had to use everything that they had learnt during the campaign, and with so much riding on the game for both sides, it was a fierce and ferocious City Ground.

Showing maturity, composure and a clinical nature when it mattered the most, Cobham graduate Levi Colwill’s decisive goal would prove to be the difference.

There were wild celebrations in the away end at full-time, as the supporters and the squad enjoyed a moment that will last long in the memory, following confirmation that Chelsea had returned to the Champions League.

And now we are here, at this point. Waiting with baited breath to see which sides we will face in this season's Champions League and hoping we can emulate the sides of 2012 and 2021.

The draw gets started on Thursday evening, and you can find out who we will play right here on the Chelsea Official App and website!