Petr Čech came away from Stamfrod Bridge frustrated and disappointed on Saturday, but has admitted the reception he received was amazing.
The goalkeeper was returning to his old stadium for the first time after his £11m move to Arsenal in the summer and was well received by Chelsea fans.
After 11 years at the club, in which he won absolutely everything, it’s no shock that Čech was greeted by applause, the least Chelsea could do was show him some respect after all he achieved with them.
After so long with the Blues it must have been odd, but Čech said his concentration was on the game.
“It was new for me but I was focused on the game,” said the goalkeeper. “I had a great reception for the fans. That was amazing and I would like to thank them for that.”
However, the result was the only thing on the goalkeeper’s mind so to lose 2-0 in controversial circumstances left a sour taste in the mouth.
“You come here to play football, you want to win a football match, and we didn’t win. That’s disappointing.
“I came back and hoped that I could get a result for my new team. We prepared for the game but couldn’t win.
“My individual highlight will be the reception I got from the fans which was amazing. I would like to thank everybody but obviously I would have liked to win the game. We go home with no points so that’s the disappointing part.”
The entire afternoon was disappointing but it’s nice that, at the very least, the goalkeeper received the reception that his time at Chelsea warranted.
Not that it will offer any Arsenal fans with reassurance.