Jose Mourinho’s defending champions had started the season flawlessly, winning eight league games on the spin, including a 4-1 thrashing of Liverpool at Anfield.

The visit of Bolton evoked memories of our most recent meeting with the Trotters, a few months prior. On that occasion victory secured us our maiden Premier League title – this win at the Bridge cemented our place at the top of the table. It was a position we would not let slip.

So it was a shock when Stelios Giannakopoulos side-footed Bolton ahead with just four minutes on the clock. We were fortunate not to go two behind when Gary Speed thundered a half-volley against the crossbar, while Giannakopoulos was thwarted by Ricardo Carvalho.

The introduction of former Bolton player Eidur Gudjohnsen for Asier del Horno at half-time helped swing the contest in our favour.

‘It was a question of bringing something different in tactical terms and what the opponent would not be ready for,’ said Mourinho.

Within ten minutes of the restart, we had turned the game around through goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard. After Ricardo Gardner was dismissed for deliberate handball, Lampard took advantage of a poorly-constructed wall to put us 3-1 up.

Drogba acrobatically flashed in a fourth before Gudjohnsen sealed an emphatic success with a typically cool one-on-one finish.

We did finally drop points in our next fixture, at Everton, but there was no stopping us winning back-to-back titles come the spring.