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March 22, 2014
The day when the entire Arsenal family was celebrating their legendary manager, Arsene Wenger's 1000th game in charge at the club. On that propitious day, the Gunners travelled to Stamford Bridge to rub shoulders with Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.
Seven minutes into the game, the home side were 2-0 up courtesy of their fierce counter-attacking. Eden Hazard then put the game to bed before the 20th-minute mark, when Oxlade-Chamberlain handled the ball and gave away a penalty. A bizarre incident took place following that violation, where the referee dismissed Kieran Gibbs instead of Oxlade-Chamberlain.
A brace from Oscar followed, before new signing Mohamed Salah's late strike proved to be the final nail in the coffin for the visitors.
It was the biggest Premier League victory as Chelsea manager for Mourinho. With the Bridge erupting in joy, Wenger was left hapless. The Frenchman later described the result as 'a scar in your heart that you never forget.'
A host of Chelsea players were on top of their game on that day. Time and football, both have moved on since. Which club do they play for now? Here, we remember and provide the present status of those Blues who absolutely set the field on fire that day.
Goalkeeper
Petr Cech - Arsenal
This is arguably the hardest pill to digest for Chelsea fans and supporters alike. After 10 glorious years comprising of 494 appearances with the Pensioners, Petr Cech switched to Arsenal after Thibaut Courtois was preferred in goal.
Over the course of 10 years, he won four league titles, four FA Cups, three league cups, two Community Shields, a Europa League and the Champions League with Chelsea.
The commanding goalkeeper was one of the most distinguished performers in the Blues' side, without a doubt.
Defenders
RB: Branislav Ivanovic - Zenit Saint Petersburg
Signed from Lokomotiv in 2008, Branislav Ivanovic grew to become one of the most complete full-backs in the game. He left the club in 2017 after nine successful years. Aerially powerful, physical and sharp, the Serb amassed 377 appearances for the Blues. He will surely go down as one of the biggest Chelsea legends.
CB: John Terry - Free agent
Well, this man needs no further introduction. John Terry is one of the few players to have carried Chelsea to the top, from all the way down. After 19 years as a senior football player, he departed after their 2016/17 title-winning campaign. His ability to tackle, read the game and lead a team is unparalleled.
717 appearances, 17 trophies, Chelsea Player of the Year - twice. Enough said.
CB: Gary Cahill - Chelsea
Signed from Bolton Wanderers over seven years ago, Gary Cahill is another one of those loyal servants of the club. He has risen to become one of the safest defenders in English football. He is capable of winning anything in the air. Although he has been pushed down the pecking order under Sarri, the 32-year-old is ready to fight for his place.
LB: Cesar Azpilicueta - Chelsea
Azpilicueta has gone on to become a leader at the club. Loyal, proud and kind, the Spaniard is Chelsea to the core and much more. He has worn the armband in the 2018/19 season so far under new boss Maurizio Sarri.
Midfielders
Nemanja Matic - Manchester United
Another key player Chelsea allowed to leave. He was one of the most disciplined midfielders, who led the team to two league titles. Matic controls the midfield, tackles well, wins aerial duels, allows the wingers to play in advance positions and owns a fantastic footballing mind.
He was initially signed in 2009 but sold to Benfica. He made his second debut for the Blues in January 2014. On 30th July 2017, he reunited with his former boss Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.
David Luiz - Chelsea
David Luiz played at defensive midfield position in the 6-0 thrashing due to his liveliness and ball-playing capabilities.
The decorated defender was signed by Chelsea in 2011, but after four seasons, he left the club for Paris Saint-Germain.
Two years later, Antonio Conte snapped him up, which proved to be one of the signings of the season. He is going strong at centre-back under the stewardship of Maurizio Sarri.
Wingers and forward
LW: Eden Hazard - Chelsea
On 4th June 2012, the Blues installed Eden Hazard. With the reputation of becoming a legendary forward, Hazard entered Stamford Bridge.
Seven years on, owing to his dribbling, finishing, balance, pace, maturity, consistency and desire, Hazard is one of the world's best.
He won the silver ball in the recently concluded FIFA World Cup and has carried that form into the league season. Watch out for the little Belgian!
CAM: Oscar - Shanghai SIPG
The man who scored twice against Arsenal in that fixture is now serving Chinese Club Shanghai SIPG, who signed him for a reported fee of £60 million in 2016.
His vision coupled with shooting skill made him an exciting prospect at Chelsea. He also drew comparisons to fellow Brazilian Kaka. In total, he featured 203 times for the Blues.
RW: Andre Schurrle - Fulham(on loan from Borussia Dortmund)
Andre Schurrle only spent one and half years with Chelsea, before leaving for Wolfsburg and Borussia Dortmund. Pacy and direct, the German scored 14 goals for the Blues, including a hat-trick against current club Fulham. He has already netted twice this season for the Cottagers.
Striker
Samuel Eto'o - Qatar SC
The four-time African Player of the Year award winner signed a one-year deal with Chelsea in 2013. In this fixture, he opened the scoring with a beautiful left-footed curler. He scored 12 goals in 35 appearances for the five-time league champions.
Substitutes
Fernando Torres - Sagan Tosu
Chelsea made Torres the fifth-most expensive footballer when they signed him from Liverpool. Although regarded as a flop at Stamford Bridge, the Spaniard found the net on the most important of occasions, including the last-minute goal against Barcelona in the Champions League semi-final, which helped his to the final.
After a short stint with AC Milan, he returned to his boyhood club, Atletico Madrid, in 2014. He is now playing for J1 league side Sagan Tosu.
John Obi Mikel - Tianjan TEDA FC
Having joined in 2006, Mikel laboured 374 appearances for Chelsea over the course of 11 seasons. On 6 January 2017, he joined Chinese side Tianjlan for free, after the hierarchy at the Bridge chose not to renew his contract.
Mohamed Salah - Liverpool
Another one of those sad transfer stories for Chelsea fans to digest. Salah was signed in the January transfer window of the 2013/14 season, but lack of opportunities led to his departure to Fiorentina, Roma and then Liverpool. Last season, he smashed goals and records and almost pipped the likes of Messi and Ronaldo to lead Europe's goal-scoring charts.
