2023 was been miserable for the most part for Chelsea fans, with very few moments indicating any light at the end of the tunnel.
The feeling is a lot better under Mauricio Pochettino that it was in the first half of the year, however results have not always been there to back things up.
There have at least been some moments where supporters have begun to believe they could be a force in England and Europe again soon.
Here are The Chelsea Chronicle’s top three moments of 2023.
Chelsea show they can hang with the big boys
Perhaps a statement of just how poor the year of 2023 was for the Blues, one of their top three moments is going to go to a game where they didn’t even take the three points.
In the early stages of Mauricio Pochettino’s time here, there was an optimism that the players could get up for the occasion when the magnitude of the game increased. That theory was put to the test when the treble winners came to town.
Three times Chelsea went behind to Manchester City, with the final deflected strike from Rodri looking as if it was going to be one dagger too many.
However, a spirited fight back saw them refuse to back down. Cole Palmer’s stoppage time penalty rescued a deserved point for the Blues.
Chelsea’s player of the season so far took the occasion to show his former side exactly the talents they had allowed to leave over the summer.
Havertz keeps Potter’s dream alive
Smack bang in the middle of Chelsea’s dire run under Graham Potter, they had to somehow get themselves up for the Champions League Round of 16 tie against Borussia Dortmund.
After losing the first leg 1-0, Stamford Bridge was on fire as they welcomed the two teams with the home side’s entire season on the line.
Goals eitherside of half-time from Raheem Sterling and Kai Havertz overturned the first leg deficit, as many of the Blues put in their best performances of the season when it really mattered.
Ultimately, the win was not enough in the end for Potter to even see the next Champions League fixture as a Chelsea manager, with Frank Lampard taking interim charge of the quarter-final defeat to Real Madrid.
Pochettino takes Chelsea close to a trophy
The Blues are quite a while without a domestic trophy right now, in a century where silverware has been easy to come by at Stamford Bridge.
This is perhaps why Chelsea fans were delighted to hear Mauricio Pochettino taking the quarter-final of the EFL Cup against Newcastle United.
As the game entered added time though, they were heading out before Mykhailo Mudryk stepped up with a big goal to send it to penalties.
Here, Cole Palmer, Conor Gallagher, Christopher Nkunku and Mudryk were perfect from the spot, while Djordje Petrovic made himself a hero with a fine save.
At the time of writing, we have no idea how much this win will mean in the context of Pochettino’s time in West London. The Blues face Middlesbrough in the semi-finals, with a potential final against Liverpool or Fulham.
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