Chelsea supporters welcomed Eden Hazard and many more of their favourites back to the Bridge on an afternoon where one of the great recent rivalries was reignited.

Sitting in the Bridge with the sun blinding your eyes, watching Petr Cech claim every cross into his box, John Terry and Gary Cahill marshall the defence, Claude Makelele break up play, while Hazard ran at his full-back and Diego Costa got into scrapes with Liverpool's centre-backs, it was like going back in time.

They may have lost a yard of pace and misplaced the odd pass they would not have in yesteryear, but these are some of the greatest players in Chelsea's 120-year history and the fans welcomed them back as such.

The Blues' starting line-up included no fewer than nine Champions League winners, with another couple more on the bench.

Cech, widely considered to be Chelsea's greatest ever goalkeeper, was protected by one of our best centre-back partnerships in our history, as Terry lined up alongside Cahill, with William Gallas on the right and Florent Malouda at left-back.

Makelele took up the position he quite literally made his own, alongside John Mikel Obi and Ramires centrally, with Hazard on the left flank, Salomon Kalou on the right and Costa leading the line.

There was a fitting, if not sombre, start to proceedings as we rightly remembered Matt Beard, Joey Jones, Diogo Jota and his brother Andre Silva, who all passed away earlier this year, before the action got underway.

One of the main attractions was the return of Eden Hazard in the blue of Chelsea, having been back at the Bridge for SoccerAid last year. It was somewhat ironic the first chance the fans had to cheer their hero was for a tackle inside his own half.

The maiden moment of real quality came on 12 minutes through one of the former Chelsea players but on this occasion he was lining up in the red of Liverpool. Yossi Benayoun beat several defenders on his way into the penalty box but was met - probably not for the first time in his life - by the big paw of Cech.

This may have been a game where the proceeds were being donated to Chelsea Foundation and the Chelsea Players’ Trust but there was no holding back when it came to some of the tackles - one of the biggest cheers of the first half came when Cahill slid in on Babel by the corner flag.

Chelsea were dominating possession but found clear-cut openings hard to come by, as a diving Jay Spearing blocked shots by Mikel and Costa.

It was fitting that at a time when the game needed an injection of oomph, it was Terry who delivered it. JT, with the armband on once again, won the ball in his half and went on one of his marauding runs up the pitch, leading to an attack that ended with Ramires slipping in Costa, whose shot was saved.

There was the right balance between competitive action and fun, as shown when Cahill wrestled Pepe Reina to the ground by the touchline.

There was still the odd moment of needle when it came to Diego Costa, though. He wouldn't be Diego without it would he? The former Spain international angered Martin Skrtel when the striker reacted to the Liverpool defender's heavy tackle. A few minutes after the initial flare had been calmed down, Costa was a little late into a tackle and his customary yellow card was given out. Much to the amusement of those inside the ground.

At half-time, Hazard addressed his beloved crowd and some of our older Chelsea Legends who are no longer able to play walked around the pitch to received their deserved applause. This was a great club with great players long before the Premier League era after all.

Celestine Babayaro, Katie Chapman, Joe Cole and Jody Morris were all introduced at the break, and the rest of our subs were to come on as the game progressed.

The tempo appeared to ramp up after the break, as Cole in particular impressed following is arrival and Hazard got on the ball a bit more.

Martin Kelly flashed a shot narrowly wide, while Malouda rattled the post from distance. Terry had a header go wide and a volley hit the roof of the net, Cahill had a long-range shot saved and Costa saw an effort deflected wide as the Blues continued to apply pressure.

It looked as though Hazard's return to the blue of Chelsea would have the dream ending when he stepped over Tiago's pass and was slipped in one-on-one inside the penalty area. But replacement goalkeeper Sander Westerveld produced a one-handed save which would not look out of place on Match of the Day now.

The biggest cheer of the day was ultimately reserved for when Hazard's number was held up on the fourth official's board. The standing ovation by the whole of the stadium was befitting for one of the most talented and popular players to ever play for the club.

The enjoyment he brought Chelsea fans was not done there though, as he gave his match shirt to a young supporter waiting by the tunnel, much to the delight of his family. It was a special moment from a very special player.

In the end, the afternoon concluded with a tinge of disappointment when Babel cut inside on to his right foot and found the bottom corner of Carlo Cudicini's goal with just three minutes remaining. But as Roberto Di Matteo highlighted during his post-match press conference, today was about raising money for the Chelsea Foundation and the Chelsea Players’ Trust and giving the fans an afternoon they would remember.

Teams

Chelsea starting line-up: 1. Cech, 4. Makelele, 7. Ramires, 10. Hazard, 12. John Mikel Obi, 13. Gallas, 15. Malouda, 19. Costa, 21. Kalou, 24. Cahill, 26. Terry

Substitutes: 3. Babayaro, 6. Desailly, 7. Davison, 10. Joe Cole, 17. Chapman, 18. Remy, 20. Morris, 22. Gudjohnsen, 23. Cudicini, 30. Tiago, 34. Harley

Management: Head coach Roberto Di Matteo, assistant Michael Ballack

Liverpool starting line-up: 25. Reina; 17. Klavan, 37. Skrtel, 27. Vignal, 34. Kelly; 20. Spearing, 25. Biscan, 12. Aurelio; 15. Benayoun, 24. 19. Sinama-Pongolle, Babel

Substitutes: 1. Westerveld, 22. Kirkland, 2. Henchoz, 11. Gonzalez, 4. McAteer, 9. Dowie, 16. Pennant

Management: Ian Rush, John Aldridge, Phil Thompson, Sammy Lee

Attendance: 30,076
Referee: Dean Whitestone

* You can still donate by sending a text message of CFCLEGENDS to 70085 to donate £5. Texts will cost the donation amount plus one standard network rate message.