Sitting John Terry and Jamie Carragher across a table for the latest Monday Night Football show was always going to be interesting.

The two ex-England defenders, aside from analysing the Everton-Swansea City match, exchanged anecdotes from their careers and past confrontations. After all, Liverpool and Chelsea maintained quite the rivalry in the mid-2000's.

From Luis Garcia's 'ghost goal' in the Champions League semi-final, Steven Gerrard flirting with a switch to Stamford Bridge, to Chelsea exacting revenge at Anfield with a 4-1 win, you could always guarantee yourself entertainment.

The bitterness between the two sides was no more accentuated than by the new managers, either - Jose Mourinho and Rafa Benitez. 

Talk about a clash of personalities. The cold, calculated Benitez often came to blows with a Mourinho at the zenith of his controversial and energetic nature.

It took little time for the two managers to get off to a frosty start with Mourinho coming out on top in the 2005 League Cup final. A slender win will forever be associated with the Chelsea boss being sent off for shushing the Liverpool fans.

Furthermore, if Carragher is to be believed, the austerity between the two managers was no joke.

The Liverpool legend gave a quick insight into the Benitez dressing room before a Chelsea clash and what he used to tell the players beforehand showed exactly how he felt.

Carragher explained: "When Mourinho came, he lit the Premier League up with his press conferences. Rafa was completely different, he wouldn't say much in press conferences.

"I think his quote was: 'Abramovich is the Special One,' he saw Mourinho as his equal.

"Mourinho had come in winning the Champions League and the UEFA Cup the year before. Rafa had come in winning two Spanish leagues at Valencia, which is a huge achievement to win it with Valencia and the UEFA Cup.

"So Rafa didn't see Mourinho as some to look up to, he was like: 'you're only doing this because of Abramovich's money.' He had that sort of ego about him."

Is Benitez, right? Of course not, but he spoke for a lot of Liverpool supporters and rivals fans alike with his words in the dressing room and it no doubt helped inspire his team.

Besides, we're sure Mourinho wasn't exactly waxing lyrical about Benitez down the corridor.

At a Premier League win and Champions League victory apiece after their first seasons, though, it's fair to say it was a healthy rivalry.

Do you think Chelsea's success under Mourinho was down to the money? Have your say in the comments section below.