Diego Costa’s 89th-minute strike proved the difference between the sides but it was no more than Antonio Conte’s men deserved having dominated for long spells.

Hazard, who was deservedly named man of the match, opened the scoring two minutes after the break from the penalty spot following a foul on Cesar Azpilicueta.

‘It’s good to be back on the pitch and to win in front of our supporters,’ said Hazard. ‘The first game of the season is always important and we played very well, we played 90 minutes like tigers.

‘It’s not every year I score in my first game. I missed a couple of penalties last year, Oscar asked if he could shoot but I said it was my turn and it’s always good to score a penalty.

‘Last season is finished and now we are looking forward to the future. We want to bring the fans a lot of emotion but it’s always good to start like this.’

Terry was part of a defence which restricted the visitors to just one shot on goal – James Collins’s 77th-minute equaliser – and the skipper praised the whole team for their desire and work-rate during what was a frenetic opening fixture.

‘It was very important to get off to a good start,’ he added. ‘The way we started and ended last season wasn’t good enough by our own standards. We said before the game that whether we won lost or drew that was the type of fight and commitment we want from everyone.

‘We dug in, it was a big London derby and it means a lot to players and supporters. It was great for the management to get off to a good start as well.’

Terry also singled out Hazard for a wonderful individual display, saying: ‘He’s up there with the very best in the world for me. We relied on him too much last season and he can’t do it all on his own even though he almost does. He’s a world class player and we’re very lucky to have him.’