Ranking Every Chelsea Loss Under Jose Mourinho

Jose Mourinho has been sacked as Chelsea manager.

The move, reported on the club's official site on Thursday, comes as the reigning Premier League champions continue to endure a torrid season. They sit 16th in the league, with their hopes of successfully defending their title long since gone.

Chelsea also crashed out of the Capital One Cup in the fourth round to Stoke City on penalties in October, leaving them with just the FA Cup and Champions League to play for.

The Blues have lost nine matches in the Premier League this term, with Porto also beating them in the Champions League.

From being crowned champions just seven months ago, things went horribly wrong for Mourinho. Now, he's paid the ultimate price by losing his job at Stamford Bridge for a second time.

His record over his two stints as Chelsea manager remains impressive, with 199 wins from 321 matches. It's recent defeats that have proved his downfall, though, with 47 overall.

For a manager with a reputation for winning at all costs, Mourinho will rue every one of those losses, but some would have hurt him more than most.

There's his first defeat as Chelsea boss, coming against Manchester City, not to mention those Champions League semi-finals against Liverpool and Atletico Madrid.

Which is No. 1? Join Bleacher Report as we rank all 47 defeats of Mourinho's Chelsea career.

The Theory Explained

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Lists of this sort are always going to be subjective and divide opinion.

That said, we've tried to come up with a formula that ranks Jose Mourinho's defeats on merit.

Therefore, we've considered a number of factors in our ranking, which are:

• At what stage of the season did the defeat occur?
• Did Chelsea lose a title because of said defeat? Did they have nothing to play for?
• What was the fallout of Chelsea's defeat? Did it leave Mourinho's job on the line? Were Chelsea put under the media spotlight because of some sort of controversy?
• How significant was the defeat?
• What did the result mean for Mourinho and Chelsea?

It's not a foolproof algorithm as such, but considering the above factors has helped us sift through the losses that meant little to Mourinho and those that damaged him the most.

For instance, Chelsea's 3-0 loss to West Bromwich Albion in 2014/15 came when the Blues were already Premier League champions. So despite the scoreline being heavily one-sided, that loss ranks far lower than, say, when Sunderland beat Chelsea 2-1 at Stamford Bridge in April 2014.

Chelsea were going for the title back then, and losing to a club in a relegation fight had a massive impact on Mourinho and his players. It damaged their title hopes and also showed them to be weaker in areas we hadn't considered. It was also his first Premier League home defeat as Chelsea boss.

So that's the theory explained. Now sit back and enjoy—or at least try to!

NB: Our ranking only includes defeats suffered in regulation time. That means over 90 minutes or in extra time for cup competitions. As such, we have not included losses in penalty shootouts, on away goals or on aggregate. Each defeat has been ranked individually and not paired for cup ties played over two legs.

47-41: Defeats Happen, Even to the Best of Us

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47. May 2, 2006: Blackburn Rovers 1-0 Chelsea

Chelsea had the title wrapped up by the time they visited Ewood Park to face Blackburn Rovers in early May 2006. Steven Reid's 43rd-minute winner was nothing more than a moral victory for the Premier League.

46. May 7, 2006: Newcastle United 1-0 Chelsea

Five days after that Blackburn loss, Chelsea were on the receiving end of another 1-0 defeat on their travels. With a much-changed side, Jose Mourinho also only named four substitutes for the game against Newcastle United at St James' Park, with Lenny Pidgeley making a rare appearance in goal.

45. May 18, 2015: West Bromwich Albion 3-0 Chelsea

This game is remembered more for Cesc Fabregas' red card, when the Spaniard launched an inch-perfect ball into the face of West Bromwich Albion's Chris Brunt during a break in play.

Chelsea were already champions, and while defeat would have grated on Mourinho, it meant little.

44. August 13, 2006: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

Chelsea were back-to-back premier League champions when they met Liverpool in the 2006 Community Shield, and it showed in the performances of both teams.

Liverpool played the game like it was a major final, while Mourinho's men seemed to treat it like another warm-up fixture ahead of the new season.

Mourinho doesn't like losing, but this would have been easier to stomach than most.

43. October 16, 2004: Manchester City 1-0 Chelsea

This may have been the first defeat as Chelsea manager for Mourinho, but given where it led his team, it's one that will hardly register.

After losing to Manchester City at the City of Manchester Stadium in mid-October, Chelsea went undefeated in the league for the rest of the season as they waltzed to the title.

Indeed, Nicolas Anelka's penalty left them five points behind Arsenal after this game, but come Christmas Day, it was the Gunners trailing Chelsea by that margin.

By the end of the season, Mourinho's men had extended that to 12 points.

42. November 22, 2006: Werder Bremen 1-0 Chelsea

What Arsenal fans wouldn't give for a Per Mertesacker winner against Chelsea. Well, he got one for former club Werder Bremen as the Germans defeated Chelsea 1-0 in the Champions League in November 2006.

With 10 points to their name, Chelsea were already through their group by this stage, though.

41. August 23, 2006: Middlesbrough 2-1 Chelsea

The north east hasn't been a happy stomping ground for Jose Mourinho. And so it proved against Middlesbrough at the Riverside Stadium in late August 2006, as Chelsea let slip a 1-0 lead in the last 10 minutes to lose 2-1.

Andriy Shevchenko put the Blues 1-0 up in the first half. An Emanuel Pogatetz strike in the 80th minute drew Boro level before Mark Viduka killed Chelsea off in the 90th minute.

40-36: It's Grim Up North for Jose

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40. February 15, 2014: Manchester City 2-0 Chelsea

Losing to Manchester City in the 2013/14 FA Cup fifth round would have ranked higher had Chelsea not beaten Manuel Pellegrini's team in the league just two weeks earlier.

That Premier League performance was a tactical masterclass from Mourinho, and when he returned to the Etihad Stadium, he came with a different game plan and perspective

City wanted revenge and it showed, but Mourinho already had the win he wanted.

39. December 6, 2014: Newcastle United 2-1 Chelsea

It's the manner of defeat at St James' Park that would have irked Mourinho here.

Chelsea were sloppy and paid the price, losing their first game in all competitions in 2014/15.

Even with a rookie goalkeeper in Jak Alnwick, Newcastle somehow kept Chelsea at bay until late on, when Didier Drogba's header made it 2-1.

38. September 14, 2013: Everton 1-0 Chelsea

Samuel Eto'o had not long joined Chelsea and made his debut in this game. It proved to little effect, with the Cameroon striker failing to add anything significant in attack for the Blues.

Everton won thanks to Steven Naismith's strike right on half-time.

This was Chelsea's first defeat since Mourinho's return to the club in summer 2013.

37. November 1, 2005: Real Betis 1-0 Chelsea

This was Chelsea's first defeat of the 2005/06 season, with Real Betis' Dani scoring the winner after 28 minutes.

It ended Chelsea's run of 19 games without loss in all competitions, stretching back to May 2005.

36. November 6, 2005: Manchester United 1-0 Chelsea

Jose Mourinho has suffered back-to-back defeats five times as Chelsea boss. With this loss to Manchester United coming straight after Real Betis, this was the second time he had done so.

Darren Fletcher's header also meant it was the first game in over a year that Mourinho lost a Premier League fixture.

His team's previous defeat was in October 2004 to Manchester City.

35-31: Mourinho Airs His Laundry out to Dry

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35. April 12, 2005: Bayern Munich 3-2 Chelsea

With a stadium ban enforced for this game against Bayern Munich, legend has it that Mourinho made his way into the Chelsea dressing room in a laundry basket to avoid detection.

Chelsea lost the game 3-2 but still progressed into the Champions League semi-finals thanks to their superior aggregate score, winning the tie 6-5 overall.

34. September 18, 2013: Chelsea 1-2 FC Basel

This game was just Mourinho's second defeat in all competitions at Stamford Bridge.

It really burst the bubble of his Chelsea homecoming too, confirming his task in west London was going to be much more difficult than when he took over almost a decade before.

Chelsea had led Basel 1-0 but threw the game away late on.

33. November 26, 2013: FC Basel 1-0 Chelsea

Only Liverpool had won twice against Mourinho's Chelsea in the same season. Those victories came in two different competitions, though, whereas Basel's double was in the Champions League.

After defeating the Blues 2-1 at Stamford Bridge, Mohamed Salah scored the decisive goal here.

Just over a month after this game, the Egyptian joined Chelsea.

32. December 7, 2013: Stoke City 3-2 Chelsea

This game against Stoke City was uncharacteristic for a Mourinho side. Not only did Chelsea surrender their lead, but they switched off at full-time to allow Oussama Assaidi to score a wonder goal in the 90th minute to take victory.

It was a sign of where Mourinho's new Chelsea were headed.

31. November 2, 2013: Newcastle United 2-0 Chelsea

Another visit to the north east and another defeat for Jose Mourinho's Chelsea.

The Blues had their chances here against Newcastle but were punished in the second half for some sloppy mistakes.

This loss put a dent in Chelsea's title hopes despite coming pre-Christmas.

30-26: Jose Toon on His Luck

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30. March 15, 2014: Aston Villa 1-0 Chelsea

Severely damaging Chelsea's title hopes, this loss to Aston Villa also caused Mourinho problems elsewhere.

The Chelsea manager was sent to the stands for remonstrating with the referee after he appealed Ramires' sending off.

Chelsea ended the game with nine men as Willian was also dismissed.

29. April 2, 2014: Paris Saint-Germain 3-1 Chelsea

Like the Stoke City game before, Chelsea proved to be the masters of their own downfall against Paris Saint-Germain.

They conceded within three minutes to Ezequiel Lavezzi. Eden Hazard pulled them level, but some poor defending in the second half allowed PSG to score twice to make it 3-1.

Fortunately for Mourinho and Chelsea, the Blues won the second leg of this Champions League encounter 2-0 to progress to the semi-final.

28. February 20, 2005: Newcastle United 1-0 Chelsea

This loss for Mourinho against Newcastle will rank among his worst in the north east as it came in the FA Cup.

The Chelsea boss was dreaming of going all the way in his first season, and his team had a realistic chance of winning all three major honours in England that year.

It didn't work out that way thanks to Patrick Kluivert's goal. To make matters worse, Wayne Bridge also broke his ankle, ruling him out for the season.

27. October 3, 2015: Chelsea 1-3 Southampton

Ahead of October's international break, this was a depressing defeat for Chelsea.

They were comprehensively beaten by Everton and Manchester City on the road, but they hadn't been taken to pieces at home quite like they were when Southampton beat them 3-1.

Ronald Koeman's men were excellent, dominating Chelsea all over the pitch to bring to an end a horrible run of form that hadn't seen them win away in the league since February 2015.

26. September 29, 2015: Porto 2-1 Chelsea

Facing their main rivals in Champions League Group G, Chelsea couldn't lose to Porto. Somehow, they found a way of doing just that.

The Blues were erratic defensively and were punished for their shortcomings, leaving them languishing in third in their group at the time.

This defeat put into perspective the problems Mourinho's men were facing, risking their continued Champions League participation for 2015/16.

25-21: Wenger Finally Calls 'Cech Mate' on Jose

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25. September 12, 2015: Everton 3-1 Chelsea

With their summer-long pursuit of John Stones, this game against Everton came with added bite for Chelsea.

They simply didn't turn up, though, and by the final whistle they were well beaten by Steven Naismith's hat-trick.

24. November 5, 2006: Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Chelsea

Chelsea's London rivals Tottenham Hotspur hadn't beaten the Blues in the league since 1990, but they finally ended that run with a 2-1 victory in November 2006.

In fact, their run without a league victory against Chelsea at White Hart Lane stretched back even further to 1987, so Mourinho wouldn't have been too pleased to be the man to surrender that record.

23. March 19, 2006: Fulham 1-0 Chelsea

This game against Fulham at Craven Cottage marked Jose Mourinho's first defeat in a London derby. It's also remembered for Shaun Wright-Phillips and Joe Cole being subbed after just 26 minutes.

22. August 2, 2015: Arsenal 1-0 Chelsea

Arsene Wenger hadn't beaten Mourinho in the 13 games they had faced each other prior to this Wembley outing, but he finally got one over the Chelsea boss in the 2015 Community Shield.

To rub salt in the wound, Petr Cech made his Arsenal debut against his former club.

21. February 11, 2006: Middlesbrough 3-0 Chelsea

Even Mourinho remembers this abject display from his team, quoting it as one of the worst performances in his time as Chelsea manager following the Blues' 2-2 draw with Newcastle in September 2015.

Chelsea were 2-0 down to Middlesbrough at half-time thanks to goals from Fabio Rochemback and Stewart Downing. Yakubu completed the rout on 68 minutes.

20-16: The Empire Crumbles

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20. October 24, 2015: West Ham United 2-1 Chelsea

The biggest signs of unrest in 2015/16 started to come against West Ham United at Upton Park toward the end of October.

Mourinho was sent to the stands at half-time after confronting the referee—for which he later received a one-game stadium ban—while assistant Silvino Louro and Nemanja Matic were also dismissed.

Chelsea leveled through Gary Cahill, but the 10 men finally succumbed to an Andy Carroll header late on.

19. October 31, 2015: Chelsea 1-3 Liverpool

From 1-0 up and in control, Chelsea collapsed spectacularly against Liverpool.

Jurgen Klopp's side ran amok, with Philippe Coutinho bagging a brace before Christian Benteke added a third.

18. November 7, 2015: Stoke City 1-0 Chelsea

This defeat against Stoke City marked three in a row in the Premier League for Mourinho's Chelsea after the losses to West Ham United and Liverpool.

That's the first time a team of his has suffered that unwanted record. The same goes for Roman Abramovich's Chelsea.

Chelsea had 19 shots on goal but couldn't find a way through as Marko Arnautovic put them to the sword.

Mourinho was forced to watch the game from a hotel room as he served a one-game stadium ban.

17. December 14, 2015: Leicester City 2-1 Chelsea

Facing the man he replaced at Chelsea in 2004, Jose Mourinho and his players were found wanting against Claudio Ranieri's Leicester City.

They fell two goals behind before offering anything resembling a performance at the King Power Stadium, with Loic Remy's late header nothing more than a consolation.

This defeat left Chelsea—the reigning Premier League champions—hovering just one point above the relegation zone after 16 matches in 2015/16.

16. December 5, 2015: Chelsea 0-1 Bournemouth

Bournemouth boss Eddie Howe called this victory the greatest individual result in the Cherries' history. It was also one of Mourinho's worst as Chelsea boss.

Not only did it end a brief revival for the Blues in 2015/16, but it also brought to an end Chelsea's unbeaten run of 43 matches against promoted teams. That record stretched back to December 5, 2001—14 years to the day of this defeat.

In the process, losing to Bournemouth turned up the heat on Mourinho's Stamford Bridge tenure.

15. August 29, 2015: Chelsea 1-2 Crystal Palace

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Jose Mourinho has made a habit of being a party pooper throughout his career.

Just ask Arsene Wenger, who Mourinho has ruined the odd anniversary game for.

On Wenger's 500th and 1000th Arsenal games as manager, Mourinho's Chelsea beat the Gunners.

Well, in late August 2015, Mourinho was dished up the same treatment by Alan Pardew's Crystal Palace.

It was Mourinho's 100th Premier League home game as Chelsea manager, and everyone expected a Chelsea win. Palace hadn't read the script.

They made Chelsea pay for some woeful defending as Bakary Sako and Joel Ward gave them all three points.

There was a collector's item on display in this game, as Radamel Falcao scored a rare goal in Chelsea colours.

14. December 7, 2004: Porto 2-1 Chelsea

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In the grander scheme of things, this loss to Jose Mourinho and Chelsea meant very little.

Chelsea were already sailing through to the knockout rounds of the Champions League, winning four of their opening five group games—they drew the other with Paris Saint-Germain.

Where it would have hurt Mourinho is that he was returning to his former team, the then-European champions, with his new club and would have wanted to put on a show.

Mourinho is a man who believes that winning is everything, especially when facing opponents against whom you have something to prove.

As the manager who delivered Porto the European Cup, he didn't have much in that sense, but he would have wanted to prove he was still No. 1.

This defeat took the shine off his return.

13. January 20, 2007: Liverpool 2-0 Chelsea

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Petr Cech returned to action for Chelsea in this game just three months after fracturing his skull against Reading.

It was a big occasion for Chelsea, as they were trailing Manchester United by six points at the top of the table and needed a boost to get their season back on track in the new year.

Jose Mourinho's men had won just three of their previous six games heading into their clash with Liverpool, but the early signs were that things weren't going to improve. And they didn't.

Dirk Kuyt scored after just four minutes before Jermaine Pennant fired home a long-range effort on 18 minutes to secure a 2-0 win.

It was an all-round forgettable day that led to more questions about Cech's injury and recovery than it answered.

12. March 29, 2014: Crystal Palace 1-0 Chelsea

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Despite being the "little horse" of the 2013/14 title race, Chelsea were at the top of the table at the back end of March.

Facing Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park, they were supposed to get a victory.

Chelsea were going for the title; 17th-placed Palace caught in the throes of a relegation battle.

With the form guide thrown out of the window—Palace had won just once in their previous six outings—the tables were well and truly turned.

Tony Pulis' side pulled off a remarkable victory, winning 1-0 to boost their hopes of avoiding the drop.

To rub it in even more, the defeat came on the back of a John Terry own goal.

11. January 1, 2015: Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 Chelsea

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Up to January 1, 2015, the belief was that Chelsea were unstoppable in the Premier League that season.

They had lost just once all term—and even then it was more down to their own mistakes than Newcastle United's brilliance—and were expected to sweep the board.

Jose Mourinho's men came crashing down to earth on New Year's Day against Tottenham Hotspur at White Hart Lane.

They were completely dominated by Harry Kane. The Englishman caused them problems all afternoon, scoring twice to help his side into a 4-1 lead.

Chelsea attempted a comeback, but the damage had been done by Kane.

In terms of harm, this game was seen by many as the beginning of the end for Mourinho. Chelsea may well have gone on to win the title, but the weaknesses in his team were exposed.

Failure to address them resulted in Chelsea's poor start to 2015/16, and it all spiralled from there.

10. August 16, 2015: Manchester City 3-0 Chelsea

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Chelsea may have been reigning Premier League champions going into this game, but Manchester City's display at the Etihad Stadium so early into 2015/16 told us that things were all set to change.

Jose Mourinho's men were brushed aside with ruthless ease as City took them apart.

With all the controversy leading into the game, it made defeat all the more difficult for Mourinho.

A week earlier, the manager had been caught up in a medical dispute with physios Jon Fearn and Eva Carneiro, creating a storm that only a victory over City could help ease.

When Chelsea got beat the way they did, it just whipped it up all the more and dragged the club into full crisis mode.

9. April 22, 2006: Chelsea 1-2 Liverpool

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Jose Mourinho doesn't tend to lose semi-finals, but whenever he did at Chelsea, it was always to Liverpool.

Rafa Benitez's hex over the Chelsea boss continued in the 2005/06 FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford.

The Blues were all set to seal the Premier League for a second year running, but they would have to wait for the FA Cup, as goals from John Arne Riise and Luis Garcia sent Liverpool to Cardiff.

8. February 22, 2006: Chelsea 1-2 Barcelona

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Coming a year after Chelsea knocked Barcelona out of the Champions League, the Catalans got their revenge on Jose Mourinho.

Lionel Messi was just 18 years old at the time, and for those Chelsea fans who hadn't heard of him, he produced an exquisite display to introduce himself to English football.

The Argentinian was instrumental, teasing Asier del Horno enough that the defender was sent off as he attempted to dispossess him, causing foul after foul.

Barcelona were deserving of their 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge, eventually winning the tie 3-2 on aggregate.

To make matters worse for Mourinho, it was his first defeat in any competition at Stamford Bridge.

7. May 1, 2007: Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea

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Another semi-final and another defeat to Liverpool.

For three seasons running, Jose Mourinho and Chelsea faced Liverpool in a major cup semi-final.

In 2005, it was the Champions League. In 2006, it was the FA Cup. A year after that loss, it was the Champions League again.

Chelsea won the first leg 1-0 at Stamford Bridge but were pegged back at Anfield when Daniel Agger scored from a corner routine.

It ended 1-0 (1-1 on aggregate) after the 90 minutes, with the game going to extra time and then penalties.

Liverpool kept their cool from the spot, winning 4-1.

6. April 30, 2014: Chelsea 1-3 Atletico Madrid

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Jose Mourinho was the nearly man when it came to the Champions League with Chelsea.

He's reached three semi-finals with the Blues, but his team always came unstuck.

The most recent loss was against Atletico Madrid in 2014.

To give Mourinho credit, few had predicted his team would go so far in the competition. It was his first season back, and the Blues weren't ready for an assault on Europe.

Facing Atletico—soon to be crowned Spanish champions—they met their match.

They were out thought and outfought by a superior team, leaving Mourinho's Champions League record looking frustratingly questionable at Chelsea.

5. September 2, 2007: Aston Villa 2-0 Chelsea

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The tension at Stamford Bridge was already at new heights when Jose Mourinho's Chelsea lost 2-0 to Aston Villa in early September 2007.

All summer, we'd heard about the developing rift between the manager and Roman Abramovich.

While results on the pitch were going his way, Mourinho was always going to be safe. When 2007/08 started in an unsatisfactory way, Abramovich acted swiftly to dismiss Mourinho.

It all started with this loss at Villa Park.

It was Chelsea's first defeat of the season, but the manner of it outlined all was not well. Chelsea were inept, being outfought by the home side, who scored through Zat Knight and Gabby Agbonlahor.

Chelsea remained joint-top of the table on 10 points with Liverpool, Arsenal and Everton.

But soon after the international break, a goalless draw with Blackburn Rovers, followed by a 1-1 draw with lowly Rosenborg at home in the Champions League, meant Mourinho lost his job.

This defeat to Villa was the beginning of the end.

4. February 23, 2005: Barcelona 2-1 Chelsea

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There have been bigger defeats for Jose Mourinho at Chelsea, but given the circumstances of this loss to Barcelona in 2005, few have meant as much.

This was a game laced in controversy.

There were incidents in the tunnel with referees, Didier Drogba was sent off and, having led the game early on, Chelsea eventually lost 2-1.

The fallout was incredible, with the media focus on Chelsea taken to new heights.

Mourinho continued to argue with UEFA and received a one-game stadium ban as a result.

It was one big mess.

One positive is Chelsea won the return leg 4-2 to progress at Barca's expense. That match is dubbed one of the greatest at Stamford Bridge.

3. April 19, 2014: Chelsea 1-2 Sunderland

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A first home Premier League defeat for Jose Mourinho was always going to come at some point.

The law of averages said it just had to.

That it would be a defeat to all but end Chelsea's title hopes was the surprise. And that's exactly what happened against Sunderland in April 2014.

Chelsea had maintained the pace with Liverpool and Manchester City in the latter weeks of the season and had to face the Reds a week after Sunderland's visit to Stamford Bridge.

Sunderland were locked in a relegation battle and rock bottom of the league. The wise prediction was nothing other than a Chelsea win.

Gus Poyet's men produced a stunning upset that worked on many levels, though.

The Black Cats severely dented Chelsea's title dream, inflicting that first defeat on Mourinho's Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in the process.

It was stunning.

2. January 24, 2015: Chelsea 2-4 Bradford City

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Under Jose Mourinho, Chelsea had never been on the receiving end of a major cup upset.

They had come close on a few occasions but always had enough about them to negotiate safe passage against plucky opponents.

That all changed in January 2015, when Bradford City pulled off the sort of FA Cup shock that will be discussed 50 years from now.

Chelsea hadn't lost at home all season—they'd only lost twice in all competitions—but the Bantams made light work of them in the end.

After trailing 2-0, Phil Parkinson's side rallied to eventually win 4-2.

It was the stuff of dreams for Bradford and the sort of thing we never expected to happen to the Special One.

Stamford Bridge was stunned into silence.

1. May 3, 2005: Liverpool 1-0 Chelsea

Was it a goal or wasn't it?

It's a question that in these more enlightened times of goal-line technology, we would be able to answer—well, in the Premier League at least given UEFA's insistence on not embracing it.

It's been over a decade since Luis Garcia's "ghost goal" robbed Chelsea of a place in the Champions League final, and even now it's still debated.

Chelsea had just sealed the Premier League title with victory over Bolton Wanderers heading into this game and were favourites to reach Istanbul.

At home, Liverpool used the crowd to good effect, though, hitting Chelsea hard in the opening minutes, with Garcia's effort bouncing agonisingly goalbound as he poked it beyond Petr Cech.

William Gallas and Ricardo Carvalho believed they successfully cleared the ball before it crossed the line, but the goal was given.

As the YouTube clip above shows, it was a fine margin, and we'll never know for certain whether the ball crossed or not.

For Mourinho, not knowing—the what-if part of it all—will haunt him forever. He had back-to-back Champions League glory snatched from his grasp by the finest of margins.

For that reason alone, the 2005 Champions League semi-final loss to Liverpool will always rank as his No. 1 defeat at Chelsea.

Garry Hayes is Bleacher Report's lead Chelsea correspondent. All quotes were obtained firsthand unless otherwise noted. Follow him on Twitter @garryhayes.