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Goals from Olivier Giroud, Kurt Zouma, and Christian Pulisic helped Chelsea complete a 3-3 comeback victory over Leeds United to send them to the top of the Premier League table.
Stamford Bridge witnessed spectators for the first time since March, and the hosts were buoyed by the fact that they were given clearance to have fans in their stadium.
However, the 2000 supporters inside the grounds did not envisage the start they saw as the visitors went ahead with a beautiful goal.
In what was a seemingly innocuous play, Chelsea lost the ball at the edge of the Leeds United box and just three touches later, Kalvin Phillips had split the hosts' defense open with a precise through-ball from the midway line.
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Patrick Bamford found himself running between Zouma and Thiago Silva before Edouard Mendy made the ill-advised decision to come out of his box. The Leeds United striker promptly rounded the Chelsea goalkeeper to slot into the back of the net and put the visitors ahead.
Considering the open style of both managers, the game promised to be full of excitement, and it did not disappoint, with both sides fashioning good chances to score.
Chelsea got their well-deserved equalizer in the 27th minute after some brilliant combination between Hakim Ziyech and Reece James on the right allowed the England defender to find Giroud with an excellent center in the box.
Disaster struck soon after as Ziyech hobbled off clutching his hamstring and had to be replaced by Christian Pulisic.
The hosts upped the ante in the second half and got the lead their play deserved when Kurt Zouma powered home a header from a Mason Mount corner for his 4th goal of the season.
Leeds United barely fashioned anything of note and got tired as the game wore on. A devastating counter-attack deep into injury-time saw Timo Werner set Pulisic up for Chelsea's third.
The win sends Chelsea to the top of the table and here, we shall have a rundown of five talking points from the fixture.
#5 Man of the moment Olivier Giroud continues fine form
Frank Lampard made two changes from his squad that played out a goalless draw against Tottenham Hotspur last weekend, with Kai Havertz coming in for Mateo Kovacic and Olivier Giroud replacing Tammy Abraham.
The latter had been the star of the show in midweek, scoring all four goals as Chelsea decimated Sevilla 4-0 on their own turf.
Lampard rewarded the France international for his fine showing, and Giroud took little time to repay his faith. He showed great awareness and strength to take advantage of the cut-back by Reece James to level matters. The former Arsenal man would have gotten a goal earlier, had Werner not inexplicably stopped his header from going in on the line.
This was Giroud's sixth goal in his last six Premier League starts as well as his 13th goal in his last 13 starts in all competitions. In this form, it will be hard for Lampard to keep overlooking him.
#4 Patrick Bamford comes back to haunt Chelsea
A lot has been made of the infamous Chelsea loan system, and many detractors point to the successes enjoyed by youngsters elsewhere as proof that they should have been given a chance at Stamford Bridge.
One of the products of the system was Patrick Bamford, who had spent five years at Chelsea between 2012 and 2017.
He, however, failed to make a single Premier League appearance and underwent several loans to different clubs before settling down at Elland Road.
The 27-year-old has been in fine form since signing for Leeds United in 2018 and was the driving force behind the club's successful promotion from the Championship.
He has not lost his stride in the English top flight and already has eight goals from 11 league games, with his latest coming on his return to Stamford Bridge.
Although it ultimately counted for nothing, Patrick Bamford still showed Chelsea fans that he is not out of place on the big stage.
#3 The Blue army keeps marching on
It seems not too long ago when Chelsea snatched a 3-3 draw with newly-promoted West Brom at the death, leading many to question their ambitions after spending so much money in the market.
However, Frank Lampard has gone about his job diligently, and most of his new arrivals have settled well into their new surroundings, while Mendy and Thiago Silva have helped solidify the rearguard.
Since a 2-0 loss to Liverpool on Matchday 2, Chelsea are yet to lose a match n regular time, with their sole defeat in this time coming in the penalty shootout loss to Tottenham Hotspur in the League Cup.
Their nine-game unbeaten run in the league has propelled them to the top of the table and considering how balanced and complete this team looks, it would take a lot to stop Chelsea on their charge.
#2 Hakim Ziyech injury a cause for concern for Chelsea
Hakim Ziyech has been one of the key contributors to Chelsea's upturn in fortune, and it would have been a painful sight for fans around the world to see him hobble off.
The former Ajax man had arrived at Stamford Bridge injured, delaying his debut. However, he wasted little time in making his impact felt, scoring two goals and providing three assists in his first two Premier League starts.
His understanding with Reece James on the right flank has been a major component of Chelsea's attack and was again on show for the club's opening goal against Leeds.
He, however, seemed to have injured his hamstring in that passage of play and immediately signaled to the Chelsea bench over his inability to continue.
Lampard promptly replaced him with Pulisic, and the Blues gaffer will certainly be sweating on the severity of the injury.
#1 2,000 Chelsea fans make their voices heard
It has been over nine months since COVID-19 precautions forced football to be halted in March. Since resumption, empty stadiums across England had become the new normal.
However, fans were given a boost when the UK government eased restrictions and graded cities into different tiers to increase the number of people allowed in a gathering.
Clubs in cities graded tiers 1 and tier 2 are allowed to have crowds while clubs in cities marked tier 3 are not yet allowed to have gatherings.
Right now, no Premier League club is in the tier 1 category, although 10 clubs are currently in the tier 2 category, meaning that they are allowed to have a maximum of 2,000 spectators.
Chelsea held a ballot to decide the lucky fans who could come to Stamford Bridge, and each one of them played their part to ensure that they gave the stadium an atmospheric feeling.
Despite being far less in number, the fans still sang club songs and rattled the visiting players, especially defender Diego Llorente, whose every touch was booed throughout the game.
