Chelsea went into the 2012-13 season hopeful of making a strong defence of their Champions League trophy, while also looking to challenge for the Premier League title.

Neither transpired for the Blues, but what occurred is a campaign that will live long in the memory of everyone at Stamford Bridge, with interim manager Rafael Benitez leading the team to Champions League qualification and Europa League success.

Here, Sports Mole has taken a look back over an eventful nine months at Stamford Bridge.

August

Chelsea began the season under the stewardship of Roberto Di Matteo, but he could only look on as the Blues fell to a 3-2 defeat at the hands of Manchester City in the Community Shield.

However, Di Matteo's men responded to get their Premier League campaign off to a winning start as they recorded a 2-0 win at Wigan Athletic.

Victories over Reading and Newcastle United followed, but the end of the month ended on a low note as they were dismantled at the back by Atletico Madrid, who eased to a 4-1 triumph in the UEFA Super Cup.

September

Chelsea dropped their first points of the season in a goalless draw at Queens Park Rangers, before their opening game in the Champions League saw them draw 2-2 with Italian champions Juventus.

A busy week saw the Blues seal a narrow success over Stoke City, before they thrashed Wolverhampton Wanderers 6-0 in the Capital One Cup.

The end of the month saw Fernando Torres and Juan Mata help Chelsea to a 2-1 triumph over Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium.

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October

The Stamford Bridge side were in terrific form and they continued their impressive run with a 4-0 win over FC Nordsjaelland.

They scored four more goals in each of their wins over Norwich City and Tottenham Hotspur, but they suffered a blow in Europe when Shakhtar Donetsk beat them 2-1 in Ukraine.

Chelsea suffered a further setback when Manchester United dealt their first Premier League defeat of the season, but Chelsea responded by knocking United out of the Capital One Cup in a nine-goal thriller.

November

Swansea held Chelsea at the start of November, before the Blues avenged their earlier loss to Shakhtar by defeating them 3-2 in the return match at Stamford Bridge.

Chelsea dropped two more points in the Premier League at home to Liverpool, before a surprise defeat to West Bromwich Albion suddenly heaped the pressure on Di Matteo.

Three days later, the Blues were comprehensively beaten by Juventus in Italy, and that was enough for the Chelsea hierarchy to fire Di Matteo.

Benitez was swiftly brought in to replace the Italian and he began his time in West London with back-to-back goalless draws with Manchester City and Fulham.

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December

There was plenty of discontent at Stamford Bridge over the appointment of Benitez, and that intensified when West Ham stunned Chelsea at Upton Park.

Chelsea then bowed out of the Champions League, despite a resounding win over Nordsjaelland, before Benitez secured his first Premier League win by leading his team to a 3-1 victory over Sunderland.

The Blues then traveled to Japan for the Club World Cup, but they came away without the triumph they craved, losing to Corinthians in the final.

Their return to England sparked a remarkable upturn in form, scoring five to defeat Leeds United before thrashing Aston Villa 8-0.

The final two games of the year saw Chelsea secure two victories on the road away at Norwich City and Everton.

January

Chelsea began the year with a shock defeat at home to Queens Park Rangers, before they advanced in the FA Cup thanks to a 5-1 win over Southampton.

A busy period in the Premier League saw the Blues beat Stoke City and Arsenal, but they dropped points at home to Southampton in-between those victories.

They were also dumped out of the Capital One Cup by Swansea in a tie that was clouded in controversy after Eden Hazard was dismissed in the second leg after a confrontation with a ball boy.

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February

A stunning second-half comeback from Newcastle United saw them defeat Chelsea 3-2 at the start of February, but the Blues responded by defeating Wigan 4-1.

Chelsea made progress in both the FA Cup and Europa League, picking up wins over Brentford and Middlesbrough in domestic action while they edged past Sparta Prague in Europe.

However, their final Premier League game of the month saw them fall to defeat at Manchester City, which made it unlikely that the Blues would be able to break into the top two.

March

Chelsea continued to battle on all fronts, playing three games a week on a consistent basis, and that carried on throughout March.

After beginning the month with a win over West Bromwich Albion, they suffered defeat in Romania against Steaua Bucharest, before returning to draw with Manchester United in the FA Cup.

They overturned a one-goal deficit to see off Bucharest, which was followed by a victory over West Ham United, but they ended March with defeat to Southampton.

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April

A fantastic volley from Demba Ba proved the difference as Chelsea dumped Manchester United out of the FA Cup in their replay, while they secured their passage to the semi-finals of the Europa League with an aggregate win over Rubin Kazan.

In the Premier League, they recorded consecutive wins over Sunderland and Fulham, before a late Luis Suarez goal denied them all three points at Anfield.

Manchester City ended Chelsea's hopes of retaining the FA Cup, but the end of the month saw David Luiz score a last-minute free kick to hand his side the advantage over Basel in Europe.

May

Another stunning effort from Luiz helped Chelsea reach the Europa League final, before a late Mata effort earned Chelsea three points against Manchester United at Old Trafford.

Three days later, a 2-2 draw with Tottenham Hotspur meant that Chelsea were one victory away from securing a place in the top four of the Premier League, and they secured that position at the first opportunity with a 2-1 victory at Aston Villa.

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Benitez secured his one and only piece of silverware at Stamford Bridge when a last-minute Branislav Ivanovic header earned Chelsea a 2-1 over Benfica in the Europa League final.

Another 2-1 victory was achieved on the final day of the season against Everton, which also saw Torres score his first Premier League goal since the 8-0 demolition of Villa in December.

It was also Benitez's last match in charge, with Jose Mourinho thought to be his replacement following confirmation that he would depart Real Madrid in early June.