This team has given their fans unforgettable memories in this breathtaking European Cup and the good news is that their success means there is more to come. The new year sees another chapter in the club’s history books, with another city on the continent being added to the list.

Eyes will soon turn to the round of 16 play-offs in February, where the pressure will be on and the stakes will be sky high.

But here in west London, this was not a night for pressure. This was an evening to enjoy, an early Christmas present for a date against the two-time European champions.

With 11 points from their first five games, the Hoops made history by becoming the first Irish team to reach the European knockout stages. As a by-product of this achievement, they were able to prevail here against Premier League opponents backed by billionaires.

The hard work was already behind them before kick-off in SW6 – an unprecedented situation for a League of Ireland side.

There is no doubt that the words ‘free kick’ are banned in the Rovers dressing room, but for the players and the 3,000 fans packed into the Shed End, there are few nights like this.

An unlikely point would have given them a chance of a place in the top eight and therefore automatic progression, but the impossible was not possible as Chelsea hit the visitors with four goals in the first half. 18-year-old Marc Guiu scored a 25-minute hat-trick in that period and some Rovers will regret that his first two errors were down to poor defensive errors, Christmas presents you might say, as did Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall and Marc Cucurella in the list of goalscorers.

But for the Dublin 24 side, the lasting memory came in the 26th minute when Markus Poom’s deflected shot leveled the game. Now the class of 2024 and its fans are experiencing their “White Hart Lane” moment.

There was a large police presence around Fulham Road, with traveling support being escorted to the ground. Once inside, they made their voices heard. “We’re just here to watch the Rovers,” they belted out, although this was also followed by a few unsavory chants and other songs about the royal family etc that UEFA might want to look into.

The Blues have had no problems in this competition, securing top spot in the group with their sixth win in six games. After making five debuts in last week’s win in Kazakhstan, Chelsea coach Enzo Maresca signaled he would give his young players more opportunities here. He stayed true to his word by making nine changes from last weekend’s Premier League win over Nathan Collins’ Brentford.

Bradley became the first Irish side to play Chelsea in a competitive game and claimed an unchanged 11 points from last week’s impressive win over Borac. His team set the tone early on when captain Roberto Lopes made a great tackle to deny Guiu a chance in the penalty area.

In the first few minutes not only the Rovers but also their fans were present. The hosts won a corner after five minutes, but as Christopher Nkunku went for the corner he was prevented from taking it as some Hoops fans threw long rolls of white paper at the striker, causing play to be halted for a few moments .

But after a decent start, Rovers fell behind when Darragh Burns suffered a terrible moment in the 23rd minute. The right wing-back, on loan from MK Dons, attempted to head the ball back to Hoops goalkeeper Leon Pohls, but due to a miscommunication in defense the 21-year-old headed the ball towards an empty net and into the path of Guiu, who hit it No mistakes from close range.

A few moments later Rovers went ahead again when a great pass from Poom put striker Johnny Kenny on target, but the Sligo man was denied a famous moment by a strong save from Filip Jorgensen.

But after the resulting corner there was ecstasy. Watts delivered the corner, the ball fell to Poom and ended up in the net with a deflection. The Shed End shook as the Hoops faithful entered dreamland. It was also an unforgettable few days for Poom. Last Friday he and his partner gave birth to a baby girl and the midfielder smiled as he waved his arms in celebration.

But eight minutes later Guiu scored his and Chelsea’s second goal and again it was avoidable from Rovers’ perspective. Dan Cleary tried to find Pohls but completely missed his back pass as the Spanish teenager took full advantage and shot home from a tight angle.

Minutes later there was almost another moment to forget for Bradley’s men when Pohls was dispossessed by Guiu, but the Spain international was denied his hat-trick by a block from Poom in front of the line.

The floodgates soon opened as the Hoops struggled to cope with Chelsea’s class. Dewsbury-Hall scored the third in the 40th minute, firing into the bottom corner, before Guiu secured his first-half hat-trick by meeting a fine cross from England’s Noni Madueke seconds before half-time.

An evening that had started with high hopes soon turned into damage control as Spanish left-back Cucurella Cleary turned from inside the box and fired into the bottom corner off the post, giving him his second goal in as many games.

The visitors were reminded of the strength of the Chelsea bench when Maresca then introduced Portugal international Joao Felix, a player signed from Atlético Madrid in 2019 for a staggering €126 million. Minutes later, Kenny and Chelsea fan Neil Farrugia were called ashore in what could prove their final appearances for the Hoops, with the former returning to parent club Celtic next month and the latter’s future still uncertain.

With Christmas just days away, Hoops fans will now be leaving west London, but the memories made under the lights of Stamford Bridge will last a lifetime. Their European pot might be €5.5 million before the knockout rounds, but Poom’s big moment was worth more than money could ever buy.

Chelsea: Jorgensen; Disasi (Murray-Campbell 59), Acheampong, Veiga, Cucurella; Casadei, Dewsbury Hall (Rak-Sakyi 82); Madueke (Vale 46), Nkunku, George; Guiu (Felix 59).

Shamrock Rovers: Pohls; Cleary, Lopes, Grace; Burns, O’Neill (Nugent 78), Poom (Mandroiu 67), Watts (Byrne 67), Honohan; Farrugia (Burke 72), Kenny (Greene 72).

Referee: Willy Delajod (France).