From kickstarting new managerial eras to dramatic comeback wins, the Blues have enjoyed some spectacular starts down the years.

In fact, our record in the first league game over recent years has been particularly strong, losing just one of our last six, and if you stretch back even further, we have won 19 of the previous 25 Premier League curtain-raisers, with just two defeats in that time.

This time around defending champions Manchester City will head to Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend of 2024/25 and for many neutrals it will be the standout clash from matchday one.

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Last season the same fixture produced an exhilarating 4-4 draw, with the eight-goal thriller later claiming the Premier League's Best Match award for 2023/24. This year we'll be looking to go one better and get Enzo Maresca off to a winning start.

With the 2024/25 fixtures now released, here's some of our best starts to the season in the Premier League era.

1994/95 – Chelsea 2-0 Norwich City

Our first ever opening day win in the Premier League came at the third attempt, as we started 1994/95 in perfect fashion.

Norwich had flirted with the title in the previous calendar year – 1993 - while the Blues were coming off the back of consecutive mid-table finishes. But the Canaries were no match for Glenn Hoddle’s side who came out all guns blazing at the Bridge.

Frank Sinclair and Paul Furlong scored in each half as we claimed all three points. It kickstarted a perfect opening month with wins over Leeds United and Manchester City soon following.

1999/00 – Chelsea 4-0 Sunderland

The first game of the season was becoming something of a bad omen for Chelsea in the late 1990s – with a run of four without victory between 1995 and 1998.

That all changed on 7 August 1999 with a 4-0 thrashing of Sunderland, who would eventually have a strong season themselves, finishing seventh. Our title challenge ignited right from the fist game as man of the match Gus Poyet scored twice.

Gianfranco Zola and Tore Andre Flo were also on target, sending us straight to the top of the table. It would also mark the start a five-match unbeaten run in the league.

2000/01 – Chelsea 4-2 West Ham United

The first game of a new season always has the potential to host a dream debut. That is exactly what Mario Stanic enjoyed when making his Chelsea bow in August 2000.

West Ham were the visitors to Stamford Bridge on the opening weekend, with Chelsea fresh from winning the Charity Shield the previous week. The Blues were already 2-1 up against our London rivals thanks to a Jimmy-Floyd Hasselbaink penalty and free-kick from Zola, before Stanic’s stunning late show capped a fine afternoon.

The Croatian hit a spectacular strike on the volley from 35 yards out for his first, before adding a fine header. However, the victory did not lead to a strong start - we would not win in the league again until 1 October.

2002/03 – Charlton Athletic 2-3 Chelsea

Surely the most dramatic of our Premier League curtain-raisers came back in 2002. Heading across the capital to face Charlton at a raucous Valley was always going to be a difficult first assignment.

But going 2-0 down inside 33 minutes was an almighty shock to the system after goals from Paul Konchesky and Richard Rufus put the hosts two up. A blank start to the new season seemed inevitable, that was until Zola tucked home just before half-time.

With Charlton down to 10 men, as Konchesky was later sent off, Claudio Ranieri’s side poured forward in the second half.

It looked to be in vein, until Carlton Cole struck six minutes from time, and that set the stage for Frank Lampard to fire home a dramatic winner from the edge of the box to complete a stunning comeback.

2003/04 – Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea

After our vital win over Liverpool on the final day of the 2002/03 season famously secured Champions League qualification, the two sides met again three months later as the Premier League returned with a bang.

The Blues had a fresh look following a summer transfer spree, with five new signings handed debuts by Ranieri. One of those arrivals hit the opening goal – Juan Sebastian Veron putting us in front after 24 minutes.

Michael Owen looked have denied us a winning start when he levelled the score with a late penalty. But half-time substitute Hasselbaink had other ideas and struck with only three minutes left, after superbly controlling Lampard’s pass.

That finish meant a winning start for the Blues, in a season where would not taste defeat until well into October.

2004/05 - Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United

A new era was truly kickstarted at Stamford Bridge on 15 August 2004. Jose Mourinho’s first game as Chelsea manager saw Manchester United come to town as two of the title favourites went head-to-head.

What followed was a - at times - scrappy contest that provided one of the most important wins of the season. Eidur Gudjohnsen’s early goal would prove the difference, as Mourinho started with a 1-0 victory.

It wasn’t just three points in the first game. Chelsea had put the rest of the league on notice that we were there to win the league. Eight months later the Blues were crowned Premier League champions for the first time, 50 years on from our last top-flight title.

2006/07 – Chelsea 3-0 Manchester City

After winning the league in style the previous two seasons, 2006/07’s first game provided one of our best in recent memory.

Mourinho’s side were at their scintillating best, destroying a capable City team with a complete attacking performance. Goals came courtesy of three club legends with John Terry, Frank Lampard and Didier Drogba all on target.

It set the tone for a strong start to the season, as the Blues only lost once from our first ten league fixtures. Despite getting off to a flyer we had to settle for second place that season, narrowly losing out to the other half of Manchester.

2008/09 – Chelsea 4-0 Portsmouth

Back in August 2008, the opening weekend provided the setting for Luiz Felipe Scolari's first game in the managerial hotseat. And his team delivered an almost faultless display to give the Brazilian a dream start.

Visitors Portsmouth were FA Cup holders and expected to provide a tough test. But Joe Cole slid home Michael Ballack's pass before Nicolas Anelka headed in Deco's cross as Chelsea flew out of the traps, 2-0 up inside 25 minutes.

A Lampard penalty sealed the points, before new signing Deco put the icing on the cake. In the closing stages he let fly from 25 yards, the swerving shot giving David James no chance.

2010/11 – Chelsea 6-0 West Brom

The new season always brings with it opportunity. The chance for a fresh start and a clean slate. But beating the red hot start the Chelsea class of 2010 made under Carlo Ancelotti will take some doing.

Fresh from winning the double under the Italian the previous season, the Blues scored six goals in each of their first two games as they flew straight back to the top of the table. The opening day saw newly promoted West Bromwich Albion arrive in west London, only to be subsequently dismantled.

Two goals from Florent Malouda, a Didier Drogba hat-trick and a trademark Lampard strike gave Ancelotti's team a 6-0 victory - at the time the biggest opening day win in the history of the Premier League.

Incredibly this was followed up with another 6-0 at Wigan but the Blues eventually had to settle for runners-up spot as Manchester United won the league.

2016/17 - Chelsea 2-1 West Ham

On the five previous occasions we have lifted the Premier League title, Chelsea have always began with an opening day win.

The most recent came in 2016 when West Ham were seen off in dramatic fashion on Monday Night Football. In Antonio Conte's first competitive game since taking the reigns, an Eden Hazard penalty early in the second half had us on course for a win.

But James Collins stunned the Bridge with a 77th-minute equaliser. At that point it looked as if Conte would be denied a winning start.

2021/22 Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace

Chelsea headed into the 2021/22 campaign as the reigning European champions after that unforgettable night in Porto and they picked up where they left off two and a half months later.

Marcos Alonso curled in a beautiful free-kick midway through the half and Christian Pulisic made it five goals in five games against Palace when he bundled in a second just before half-time.

But the afternoon belonged to Academy graduate Trevoh Chalobah as the defender marked his Premier League debut with a stunning low drive from distance to cap off a great individual - and team - performance.

Full list of Chelsea’s opening games of the Premier League season

1992/93 – Chelsea 1-1 Oldham Athletic (Harford)

1993/94 – Chelsea 1-2 Blackburn Rovers (Peacock)

1994/95 – Chelsea 2-0 Norwich City (Sinclair, Furlong)

1995/96 – Chelsea 0-0 Everton

1996/97 – Southampton 0-0 Chelsea

1997/98 – Coventry City 3-2 Chelsea (Sinclair, Flo)

1998/99 – Coventry City 2-1 Chelsea (Poyet)

1999/00 – Chelsea 4-0 Sunderland (Poyet x2, Zola, Flo) 2000/01 – Chelsea 4-2 West Ham United (Hasselbaink (pen), Zola, Stanic x2)

2001/02 – Chelsea 1-1 Newcastle United (Zenden)

2002/03 – Charlton Athletic 2-3 Chelsea (Zola, C. Cole, Lampard) 2003/04 – Liverpool 1-2 Chelsea (Veron, Hasselbaink) 2004/05 – Chelsea 1-0 Manchester United (Gudjohnsen) 2005/06 – Wigan Athletic 0-1 Chelsea (Crespo) 2006/07 – Chelsea 3-0 Manchester City (Terry Lampard, Drogba) 2007/08 – Chelsea 3-2 Birmingham City (Pizarro, Malouda, Essien) 2008/09 – Chelsea 4-0 Portsmouth (J. Cole, Anelka, Lampard (pen), Deco) 2009/10 – Chelsea 2-1 Hull City (Drogba x2) 2010/11 – Chelsea 6-0 West Bromwich Albion (Maloud x2, Drogba x3, Lampard)

2011/12 – Stoke City 0-0 Chelsea

2012/13 – Wigan Athletic 0-2 Chelsea (Ivanovic, Lampard) 2013/14 – Chelsea 2-0 Hull City (Oscar, Lampard) 2014/15 – Burnley 1-3 Chelsea (Costa, Schurrle, Ivanovic)

2015/16 – Chelsea 2-2 Swansea City (Oscar, Fernandez OG)

2016/17 – Chelsea 2-1 West Ham United (Hazard, Costa)

2017/18 – Chelsea 2-3 Burnley (Morata, Luiz)

2018/19 – Huddersfield Town 0-3 Chelsea (Kante, Jorginho, Pedro)

2019/20 – Manchester United 4-0 Chelsea

2020/21 – Brighton & Hove Albion 1-3 Chelsea (Jorginho (pen), James, Zouma) 2021/22 – Chelsea 3-0 Crystal Palace (Alonso, Pulisic, Chalobah) 2022/23 – Everton 0-1 Chelsea (Jorginho (pen))

2023/24 – Chelsea 1-1 Liverpool (Disasi)