[126], The war, Dynamo and the new youth system (1940–52), Ted Drake: Modernisation and the Championship (1952–61), The Italian Renaissance: Gullit, Vialli and Zola (1996–2000), José Mourinho: Double League Champions (2004–2007), Following Mourinho's second spell (2015–present), The Stamford Bridge turnstiles were closed with 74,496 in the stadium, but thousands continued to enter illegally. It included memorable draws at the San Siro and the Stadio Olimpico against Milan and Lazio respectively, as well as a thumping 5–0 win against Turkish side Galatasaray at the Ali Sami Yen Stadium. Chelsea's first league match took place away at Stockport County on 2 September 1905. With rumours of the club's perilous financial state circulating, Ranieri was unable to sign any more players. Following a 0–0 draw at Stamford Bridge, Liverpool went 1–0 up at Anfield thanks to Luis García and Chelsea were unable to break down a resilient defence, thus missing out on the chance of a treble. "The Sun", "Sun", "Sun Online" are registered trademarks or trade names of News Group Newspapers Limited. The Blues went on to lose the shootout 4-3 at the expense of Manchester City. He went. [36] As a result, between August 1974 and June 1978, Chelsea were unable to buy a single player. Bobby Campbell took over in March but could not prevent Chelsea's relegation via the short-lived play-off system with a loss to Middlesbrough, a match which was again followed by crowd trouble and an attempted pitch invasion, resulting in a six-match closure of the terraces the following season. From then on they were to be known as the Blues. He appears to be back to his best, racking up 6 tackles and interceptions against Liverpool to follow the 8 against Brighton in the first game of the season. 77,952 attended a fourth round FA Cup tie against Swindon on 13 April 1911.[13]. Hoddle's first season as manager saw Chelsea's league form dip slightly, and for a time they were threatened by relegation, with the goals of £1.5 million signing Mark Stein playing an important part in survival. In the dying moments, Fernando Torres scored to clinch a place in the final, giving Chelsea a "truly remarkable" 3–2 aggregate win.[92]. [78] The club were subsequently cleared by the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) and the transfer ban was lifted. Nevertheless, Ranieri was given a hero's send-off in his final match in charge. Ranieri gradually re-built the side, reducing the average age of the squad by selling some older players, including Wise and Poyet, and replacing them with John Terry, William Gallas, Frank Lampard and Jesper Grønkjær. In spite of their checkered fortunes, Chelsea became one of the best-supported teams in the country, with fans attracted by the team's reputation for playing entertaining attacking football and for signing star players, notably half-back Ben Warren and striker Bob Whittingham. [73] Russia national team coach Guus Hiddink was appointed caretaker manager until the end of the season. Dave Fraser; Sep 21 2020, 7:15 ET; KEPA ARRIZABALAGA had another afternoon to forget as Chelsea were comfortably beaten 2-0 by Liverpool on Sunday. He should be the blueprint for Kovačić, three years his junior, to follow. Three games into the 1939–40 season, first class football was abandoned in Britain for the duration of the conflict, meaning that all wartime results are only regarded as unofficial. His ability to win 50-50 duels in particular was something Chelsea have long missed. But Osgood broke his leg in a League Cup tie and the side's momentum was disrupted. in June 2003 for £60 million. Under Vialli, Chelsea would become the first side in English football to field a starting 11 composed entirely of foreign players, highlighting the increasing internationalization of the game. THE Blues defined the term "panic buy" when they brought in Torres from Liverpool in January 2011. He could have done better on Mane’s opener but mistakes like those are normal for a youngster. The centre-back joined Sunderland that summer, where he would spend just one season before heading back to France. The club's appeal against a transfer ban levied by FIFA for breaching rules regarding the signing of foreign under-18 players was rejected on the 8 May 2019. The title was eventually secured with a 3–0 win over United at Stamford Bridge. His associative play was promising and so were his runs off-the-ball. Chelsea are one of England's most successful ever clubs having won 6 league titles, 8 FA Cups, 5 League Cups, 4 FA Charity/Community Shields, 1 UEFA Champions League, 2 UEFA Cup Winners' Cups, 2 UEFA Europa Leagues and 1 UEFA Super Cup. By the time he took over in January 1962, the team were already all but doomed to relegation and he used the time to experiment and plan for the future. Veron joined the Argentine side - where he kicked off his career - permanently in 2007. However, they would be knocked in the FA Cup Fourth Round by Bradford City after they led an unexpected comeback at Stamford Bridge to win the game 2–4, and give Chelsea their first loss at home during the entire season.[105]. Chelsea were original members and have taken part in the competition every year since. Thiago, once he came on at half-time, showed what it is to be a midfielder who can defend and contribute to attacks without necessarily putting up Lampard-esque numbers. View the latest Premier League tables, form guides and season archives, on the official website of the Premier League. Following this new beginning, the form of the side slumped again, finishing 14th in the next season. This meant that they would have to win the Champions League to secure qualification for the following season's competition. For further details of our complaints policy and to make a complaint please click here. Chelsea had the decisive say in the Premier League title race for the fourth time in six seasons, as they beat Manchester City 2-1 on Thursday to end their opponents' hopes of catching Liverpool for the title. The team were crowned Second Division champions on the final day with a win away at Grimsby Town, with some 10,000 Chelsea fans making the trip to Lincolnshire.[54]. Their opponents in the final were Manchester United, making it the first all-English final in the competition's history. Ross Barkley (79th minute) - Nothing of note. To play your first game of the season against Liverpool is no easy task and it was one that proved to be well beyond the reach of Kovačić. 2004–05 was the most successful season in the history of Chelsea Football Club. In the quarter-finals, they were pitted against old rivals Tottenham who, in a pulsating game, won 3–2, despite Chelsea taking the lead through Mike Fillery. His refusal to be taken off for penalty-specialist Willy Caballero in the 2019 Carabao Cup final was another black mark on his Chelsea record. In his first match in charge, Chelsea beat Birmingham City 2–0 to reach the FA Cup quarter-finals thanks to second half goals from Juan Mata and Raul Meireles. They also reached the Champions League semi-finals, losing 3–1 on aggregate to Atlético Madrid. In the next season the team struggled to score goals, going on a nine-match run without one, winning only 3 matches in 20 and finishing 12th in 1980–81. GW5 FPL stats: Nearly two million managers swoop for Son, How to check FPL bonus points during matches, Report: Newcastle 1 United 4 The most memorable match of the run was a fourth round comeback against Liverpool, in which Chelsea, inspired by Hughes, overturned a 2–0 half-time deficit to win 4–2. In Lampard's first season he finished 3rd, ahead of rivals Tottenham and Arsenal. On 18 September, Chelsea suffered their first defeat of the season, losing 3–1 to Manchester United at Old Trafford. Former Juventus and then-current Italy national team head coach Antonio Conte was confirmed as new Chelsea manager in March 2016. AFTER helping Monaco overthrow Paris Saint-Germain to become Ligue 1 champions, Chelsea splashed out to the tune of £40m to sign Bakayoko in 2017. This service is provided on News Group Newspapers' Limited's Standard Terms and Conditions in accordance with our Privacy & Cookie Policy. The visit of Arsenal on 12 October 1935 attracted a crowd of 82,905 to Stamford Bridge, which remains a club record and the second highest ever attendance at an English league match. The 2006–07 season saw Chelsea relinquish the Premier League trophy to Manchester United after remaining second in the league for the majority of the season. In the Round of 16 Chelsea drew Barcelona; after a 1-1 result in the home leg Barcelona came back to win 3–0 at the Nou Camp and knocked Chelsea out of the competition. The club also made their way to the final of the Europa League, in which they beat Arsenal on 29 May 2019, resulting in their first European trophy since 2013. As a result, expectations of Chelsea in the 2002–03 season were more limited. Goalkeeper Jim Molyneux's mistake allowed United to score before half-time, but the Blues held out until the final six minutes, when their opponents added two more to win 3–0.