In a 38 game Premier League season, it is really difficult to decide the turning points which ultimately have led to Chelsea being Champions of England. But I’ll try to do my best in putting up a list which I think you will also agree with. It has been yet another season where there have been dramatic late goals, comeback wins and more importantly wins against teams in the top four.
Chelsea 2 Hull City 1
An opening day draw would have been a disaster but Drogba scores deep into injury time on the
opening day of the season.
Stoke City 1 Chelsea 2
A very tough away fixture, but Malouda comes up with the goal with virtually the last kick off the match after 5 minutes into injury time.
Chelsea 2 Liverpool 0
After a run of six victories in seven matches, Liverpool was the first big test for Ancelotti. Goals from Anelka and Malouda sent a strong message to other teams in the league that there was not going to be a repeat of Scolari.
Chelsea 1 Manchester United 0
John Terry’s header mid way through the second half might have gone someway into easing his pain of the Champions League final in Moscow in 2008 but more importantly it opened up a gap between our main rivals.
Burnley 1 Chelsea 2
With the season in danger of a collapse due to revelations of Terry’s private life, Terry himself scores with a powerful header a day after his extra marital affair comes to daylight. Even though his performances deteriorated due to the news stories, this win was very crucial both for Terry’s future and Chelsea.
Chelsea might have scored 5 against Portsmouth a few days earlier but this huge thumping win brought the confidence back to the team after exit from the Champions league by Inter Milan and a draw at Blackburn to surrender the lead to United. It also marked the game where Ancelotti realized that his diamond formation was not working and switched to the 4-3-3 to which the players are more comfortable with.
It was billed as the title decider and Chelsea managed to come victorious thanks to goals from Joe Cole and Drogba. Even though Drogba’s goal was offside, United then quickly scored an illegitimate goal themselves soon after but that counted to nothing as Chelsea held on to take the lead by one point.
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| Lampard has been one the unsung hero’s this season. |
It was the last of the match against one of the top four, and it couldn’t have come in a worse time with Chelsea having just a one point lead going into the game. But a Steven Gerrard assisted win meant that the blues had virtually one hand on the title.
Many records have been broken along the way to an incredible title. Here are some of them,
1. First team to score more than 100 goals in a premier league campaign. Last team to do it was Tottenham Hotspurs in 1962-63 season, but it was a 42 game season rather than 38
2. The 8-0 score line is the biggest in Chelsea’s 105 year history.
3. Ancelotti is the first Italian coach to win Premier League
4. Lampard scored 22 goals and assisted further 17 in the Premier League alone thereby making it his best season at Chelsea in terms of scoring since arriving from West Ham in 2001.
5. Drogba has the best ever scoring season in the premier league with 29 goals and gets the Golden boot for the second time.
6. Chelsea have four players who have scored in double figures. They are Drogba, Lampard, Anelka and Malouda.
Lovely article. 🙂 I think the match which truly swung things was the victory at Old Trafford. ahhh, that was sweet.
@Emma Thanks for the appreciation. Yes that match at Old trafford was the key but even more crucial was the 7-1 over Villa. I think it gave the confidence that remained till the end.
i love chelsea bcs i like d way they play their game but am sad bcs dideir drobga as left chelsea and i think no body can understand chelsea more dan him
chelsea won the title bcs of dideir drobga fate