When a victory for Chelsea over Manchester City handed Liverpool the Premier League title in 2020, some may have felt it made up for the Blues' part in the title race six years prior.
What had at one point been a three-way or even a four-way battle involving Jose Mourinho's Blues had become a two-horse race by April 27, 2014. That's when Liverpool hosted a depleted Chelsea side, looking for a win to remain in the driving seat or a draw to keep their fate in their own hands.
Of course, we now know how things ended, with Steven Gerrard's untimely slip gifting the visitors an opener and former Reds striker Fernando Torres coming off the bench to play a part in a match-clinching second. Here, Mirror Football looks at what has become of that Chelsea XI in the nine years since.
Mark Schwarzer
A stand-in for the injured Petr Cech, Schwarzer was making just his second league appearance of the season against Liverpool. He would also start the final two games of the campaign, but didn't add another Blues game to his tally before leaving for Leicester in January 2015.
The Australian was an unused sub for all but one of the Foxes' league games as they won the Premier League the following season. Now 50 years of age, he does regular punditry work.
Cesar Azpilicueta
Azpilicueta was in his second Chelsea season, having helped the Blues win the Europa League in his maiden campaign. He would end the 2013-14 with a call-up to Spain's World Cup squad, only for the holders to fall at the first hurdle.
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Nine years on, the former Marseille man is still a Chelsea player despite talk of a summer exit. " I’m the captain of this club and I wanted to stay committed to Chelsea," he said after weighing up a return to the continent. "The conversations we had will remain private, but we had some really good communications, we said what we thought and then I realised that I wanted to continue to help my club."
Branislav Ivanovic
Long-serving defender Ivanovic played at full-back and centre-back during his Chelsea career, but the trip to Anfield saw him used in the middle with Gary Cahill and John Terry unavailable. He played more than 350 games for the club, eventually leaving for Zenit St Petersburg in January 2017.
The Serbian international would later return to English football with West Bromwich Albion before retiring in 2021. He is also his country's most-capped player, making 105 senior appearances and playing at the 2010 and 2018 World Cups.
Tomas Kalas
Czech centre-back Kalas was thrown in at the deep end by Mourinho. He held his own against Luis Suarez, though, prompting some to praise the Blues manager for trusting the 20-year-old.
A number of loan moves followed, with the defender helping Fulham win promotion to the Premier League in 2018. He eventually left Chelsea for current club Bristol City in 2019, having made just four appearances for the Blues' first team during his nine-year stint.
Ashley Cole
The 2013-14 season was Cole's last as a Chelsea player. The England international left for Roma that summer, before rounding off his playing career with stints at LA Galaxy and Derby County.
Since hanging up his boots, Cole has served as part of Frank Lampard's coaching staff at a number of clubs. He followed his former colleague back to Stamford Bridge this year when Lampard took over as interim manager.
Mikel John Obi
Nigerian international Obi spent more than a decade with Chelsea, racking up 249 league appearances but scoring just once in the competition. He left in the same window as Ivanovic, joining a number of Europe-based players in making the switch to the Chinese Super League.
The 91-cap international had further spells in English football before retiring, spending time with Middlesbrough and Stoke in the Championship. He hung up his boots in 2022 after a brief spell in Kuwait.
Nemanja Matic
Matic was in his second Chelsea stint in 2014, having rejoined the club from Benfica in January. The Serbian was heavily involved the following season as Mourinho delivered the league title, featuring in 36 of the Blues' 38 league games.
He followed Mourinho to Manchester United in 2017, spending five years at Old Trafford before leaving in 2022. He has now linked up with Mourinho at a third different club, with his Roma side one pushing for Europa League glory.
Frank Lampard
Lampard, like his England colleague Cole, left Chelsea at the end of the 2013-14 season. He would eventually join New York City FC, but first had a single season with Manchester City.
Now in management, the ex-midfielder had a year at Derby before an 18-month stint in charge at Stamford Bridge. He returned in an interim capacity this season after being dismissed by Everton.
Andre Schurrle
One of Mourinho's first signings of his second Chelsea spell, Schurrle followed his maiden season at Stamford Bridge by winning the World Cup with Germany. He scored three times for Jogi Low's side during that run, including two in the semi-final demolition of Brazil.
After spells in Germany and Russia, as well as a season back in West London with Fulham, he retired at the age of just 29. "I don't need the applause anymore," he said when announcing his decision to call time on his career.
Mohamed Salah
Salah was picked up by Chelsea after impressing against them for Basel, but never managed to establish himself under Mourinho. The Egyptian scored twice in 19 outings, many of them from the bench, but his second spell in English football has been more successful.
The former Roma man became Liverpool's all-time highest Premier League scorer this season after netting in the 7-0 win over Man Utd. At the age of 30, he has time on his side as he closes in on a top-10 spot in the history of the competition.
Demba Ba
The scorer of Chelsea's opener, Ba started the game as Samuel Eto'o was given more time to recover for a Champions League semi-final second leg against Atletico Madrid. It was the Senegal star who capitalised on Gerrard's slip, racing through before confidently slotting past Simon Mignolet.
That would end up being Ba's last goal in Chelsea colours, but he continued to find the net after leaving Stamford Bridge. After impressing in China and Turkey - including a memorable goal against Manchester United for Istanbul Basaksehir - he retired in 2021 following a brief stint in the Swiss top tier.
