It was an Easter Sunday showdown between the two west London neighbours back in April. The Blues began the day in seventh, four points behind fourth-placed Man City and three points off Nottingham Forest and Aston Villa. Consecutive draws against Brentford and Ipswich Town had hampered our progress.

Just six games remained and the first of those took us down the Fulham Road to the banks of the Thames. Fulham, in ninth, had their own European aspirations. They knew victory over their most local rivals would move them to within three points of Chelsea.

That was the outcome that seemed likely for much of the afternoon. Alex Iwobi’s precise effort put the Cottagers ahead on 20 minutes and despite dominating possession and territory thereafter, we struggled to fashion many clear openings.

However, our persistence would pay off. Two seminal goals in the closing stages completed a turnaround that mirrored the one Fulham had exacted on us at the Bridge on Boxing Day.

First, Tyrique George chose a brilliant time to open his Premier League account, firing us level with a fine first-time strike from the edge of the box on 83 minutes.

We kept pushing for a winner, knowing just how precious two more points could prove come the final reckoning. It arrived deep into injury time as a superb move from front to back culminated with Enzo Fernandez picking out Pedro Neto in the box.

The Portuguese still had plenty to do, but he spun on a sixpence before lashing the ball into the roof of the net and charging down the other end to celebrate with the joyous away end.

That strike would be voted our Goal of the Season by Chelsea fans, who surely took into account the timing and significance of it, as well as the technical quality.

‘When I received the ball I just spun around and shot as hard as I can, and the ball went in,’ explained Pedro.

‘I was happy that I could help the team and we got the three points. Sometimes the game is not about the quality, it is about the spirit, and that is what we showed, the mentality we have and the group that we are, and I think that we deserved it.’

George too had more than played his part in securing our first away league win in nine.

'That was good, wasn’t it?' George said, reliving that memorable moment.

'To be fair, it felt like slow motion – it was weird. I hit it and I just saw it go in the corner, but when Pedro picked up the ball, I was like, ‘Oh my God, we actually still need to win the game,’ so I just turned around and ran back.'

That urgency paid off, and Chelsea’s Champions League quest was back on track. We will reap the benefits in the months ahead with so many exciting fixtures to look forward to in that competition.

Digital tickets are being issued for all matches at Stamford Bridge this season. Read our What You Need To Know guide to be ready for Fulham – and we urge you to arrive early to ensure you are in your seat for kick-off