The 2009–10 season was

Chelsea Football Club Chelsea Football Club is an English professional football club based in Fulham, West London. Founded in 1905, they play their home games at Stamford Bridge. The club competes in the Premier League, the top division of English football. The ...

's 96th competitive season, 18th consecutive season in the

Premier League The Premier League (legal name: The Football Association Premier League Limited) is the highest level of the men's English football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the English Foo ...

, 104th year in existence as a

football club A football team is a group of players selected to play together in the various team sports known as football. Such teams could be selected to play in a match against an opposing team, to represent a football club, group, state or nation, an all- ...

and their first season coached by

Carlo Ancelotti Carlo Ancelotti , (born 10 June 1959) is an Italian professional football manager and former player who is the manager of La Liga club Real Madrid. Regarded as one of the greatest managers of all time, Ancelotti is the most decorated manager ...

. Despite disappointment in the Champions League going out to eventual winners Inter Milan in the round of 16, the club had the most successful season in its history, winning the

for a third time and retaining the

FA Cup The Football Association Challenge Cup, more commonly known as the FA Cup, is an annual knockout football competition in men's domestic English football. First played during the 1871–72 season, it is the oldest national football competi ...

for the first time, thus becoming the seventh English club to complete the "Double". The season is also notable for the attacking football that was displayed, which resulted in the team breaking several

Premier League records and statistics The Premier League is an English professional league for association football clubs. At the top of the English football league system, it is the country's primary football competition and is contested by 20 clubs. The competition was formed in ...

including most goals scored in a season (103), most goals scored at home in a season (68) and best goal difference in a season (+71). Chelsea became the first top-flight team to reach a century of league goals since Tottenham Hotspur in 1962/63. The team only failed to score in two of 53 games, a club record. As of 2022, the team holds the Premier League record for most goals scored at home in a season.

Kits

Supplier:

Adidas Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...

/ Sponsor:

Samsung The Samsung Group (or simply Samsung) ( ko, 삼성 ) is a South Korean multinational manufacturing conglomerate headquartered in Samsung Town, Seoul, South Korea. It comprises numerous affiliated businesses, most of them united under the ...

Season summary

Chelsea won the FA Cup and the English Premier League to complete the Double for the first time in their history, while breaking numerous Premier League records in the number of goals they managed.

Key dates

*01.06.09:

is appointed as the new Chelsea manager following the departure of temporary first team coach

Guus Hiddink Guus Hiddink (; born 8 November 1946) is a Dutch former football manager and professional player. He enjoyed a long career playing as a midfielder in his native Netherlands. Retired as player in 1982, Hiddink went into management, leading both c ...

, with his tenure set to commence on 1 July. *02.07.09: Goalkeeper

Ross Turnbull Ross or ROSS may refer to: People * Clan Ross, a Highland Scottish clan * Ross (name), including a list of people with the surname or given name Ross, as well as the meaning * Earl of Ross, a peerage of Scotland Places * RoSS, the Republic of Sout ...

signs a four-year deal on a free transfer from

Middlesbrough Middlesbrough ( ) is a town on the southern bank of the River Tees in North Yorkshire, England. It is near the North York Moors national park. It is the namesake and main town of its local borough council area. Until the early 1800s, the a ...

, along with news that

Henrique Hilário Henrique () may refer to: *Henry, Count of Portugal (1066–1112) * Henry I, King of Portugal (1512–1580) * Henry the Navigator (1394–1460), a royal prince and important figure in the early days of the Portuguese Empire * Infante Henry, 4th Du ...

has renewed his contract for two more years. *03.07.09: Chelsea finalize a four-year deal for striker

Daniel Sturridge Daniel Andre Sturridge (; born 1 September 1989) is an English professional footballer who last played as a striker. As well as representing England, he has played in the Premier League for Manchester City, Chelsea, Bolton Wanderers, Liverpool ...

after his contract with

Manchester City Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of Salford to the west. The tw ...

expires. *07.07.09: Winger

Yuri Zhirkov Yuri Valentinovich Zhirkov ( rus, Ю́рий Валенти́нович Жирко́в, p=ˈjʉrʲɪj vəlʲɪnˈtʲinəvʲɪtɕ ʐɨrˈkof; born 20 August 1983) is a Russian footballer. A left-sided player who can play full-back or winger, Zh ...

signs for Chelsea from

CSKA Moscow CSKA Moscow (russian: ЦСКА Москва) is a Russian sports club based in Moscow. It was created in 1911 in the Russian Empire on base of OLLS (Skiing Society, founded 1901). Later, during the Soviet Union, Soviet era, it was a central piece ...

on a four-year deal for a reported £18 million. *27.07.09: Chelsea wins the inaugural

World Football Challenge The World Football Challenge was an international club association football exhibition competition featuring club teams from Europe and North America, that was held from 2009 until 2012, when it was replaced by the International Champions Cup. Hi ...

tournament, beating

Internazionale Football Club Internazionale Milano, commonly referred to as Internazionale () or simply Inter, and colloquially known as Inter Milan in English-speaking countries, is an Italian professional football club based in Milan, Lombardy. Inter is ...

Milan Milan ( , , Lombard: ; it, Milano ) is a city in northern Italy, capital of Lombardy, and the second-most populous city proper in Italy after Rome. The city proper has a population of about 1.4 million, while its metropolitan city h ...

, and América. *28.07.09: Former Chelsea chairman

Brian Mears Joseph Brian Mears (25 April 1931 – 28 July 2009) was a chairman of Chelsea Football Club. He was the son of Joe Mears, also a chairman of Chelsea, and grandson of Joseph Mears, co-founder of the club. He was born in Richmond, Surrey, and educat ...

passes away at the age of 78. *04.08.09: Striker

Franco Di Santo Franco Matías Di Santo (; born 7 April 1989) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a striker for the Chilean Primera División club Universidad Católica. Di Santo began his career at Chilean club Audax Italiano, earning a £3 ...

joins

Blackburn Rovers Blackburn Rovers Football Club is a professional football club, based in Blackburn, Lancashire, England, which competes in the , the second tier of the English football league system. They have played home matches at Ewood Park since 1890. T ...

on loan until 1 January. *06.08.09: Winger

Scott Sinclair Scott Andrew Sinclair (born 25 March 1989) is an English professional footballer who plays as a winger for EFL League One club Bristol Rovers. He represented England at youth level, from the under-17s to the under-21s, and also played for Gre ...

joins

Wigan Athletic Wigan Athletic Football Club () is an English professional association football club based in Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The team competes in the Championship, the second tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1932, ...

on a season-long loan deal. *09.08.45: With their first

penalty shootout The penalty shootout is a method of determining a winner in sports matches that would have otherwise been drawn or tied. The rules for penalty shootouts vary between sports and even different competitions; however, the usual form is similar to pen ...

win in over a decade, Chelsea secure the 2009 Community Shield following a 2–2 draw against

Manchester United Manchester () is a city in Greater Manchester, England. It had a population of 552,000 in 2021. It is bordered by the Cheshire Plain to the south, the Pennines to the north and east, and the neighbouring city of City of Salford, Salford to ...

in normal time. After United's Nani opens the scoring, goals by

Ricardo Carvalho Ricardo Alberto Silveira de Carvalho (; born 18 May 1978) is a Portuguese former professional footballer who played as a centre-back. Carvalho began his career at Porto, where he had loan spells at Leça, Vitória de Setúbal and Alverca, ...

and

Frank Lampard Frank James Lampard (born 20 June 1978) is an English professional football manager and former player who is the manager of club Everton. He is widely regarded as one of Chelsea’s greatest ever players, and one of the greatest midfielder ...

look to win the game for Chelsea until an injury-time equalizer by

Wayne Rooney Wayne Mark Rooney (born 24 October 1985) is an English professional football manager and former player, who is the manager of Major League Soccer club D.C. United in the United States. He spent much of his playing career as a forward while als ...

forces the game to penalties. Chelsea win the shootout 4–1. *13.08.09:

Michael Mancienne Michael Ian Mancienne (born 8 January 1988) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender. Born in England, he represented the Seychelles national team. Schooled primarily as a centre back, Mancienne can also play as a defensive ...

signs a new four-year deal, keeping him at Chelsea until 2013, then signs on loan with

Wolverhampton Wanderers Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club (), commonly known as Wolves, is a professional football club based in Wolverhampton, England, which compete in the . The club has played at Molineux Stadium since moving from Dudley Road in 1889. The club's ...

until the end of the season. *15.08.09: Chelsea's Premier League campaign kicks off with a difficult 2–1 home victory over a defensively resolute

Hull City Hull City Association Football Club is a professional Association football, football club based in Kingston upon Hull, Hull, East Riding of Yorkshire, England, that compete in the . They have played home games at the MKM Stadium since moving ...

side. After ex-

Reading Reading is the process of taking in the sense or meaning of Letter (alphabet), letters, symbols, etc., especially by Visual perception, sight or Somatosensory system, touch. For educators and researchers, reading is a multifaceted process invo ...

player

Stephen Hunt Stephen Hunt or Steven Hunt may refer to: Football *Stephen Hunt (footballer, born 1981), Republic of Ireland footballer *Stephen Hunt (footballer, born 1984), English footballer *Steve Hunt (footballer, born 1956), England, Coventry, Aston Villa ...

scores against the run of play, a

Didier Drogba Didier Yves Drogba Tébily (; born 11 March 1978) is an Ivorian retired professional footballer who played as a striker. He is the all-time top scorer and former captain of the Ivory Coast national team. He is best known for his career at ...

free-kick makes things even. Although Chelsea dominate the second half of the game, Hull's tenacity and a lack of quality finishing make it look like the game will end a damaging draw for Chelsea, until Drogba's chipped cross in stoppage time loops over the head of Hull keeper

Boaz Myhill Glyn Oliver "Boaz" Myhill (born 9 November 1982; ) is a former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He represented the Wales national team from 2008 to 2013. Born in the United States to an American father and Welsh mother, Myh ...

and serendipitously falls into the corner of the net. *18.08.09: Chelsea sign young Serbian

central midfielder A midfielder is an outfield position in association football. Midfielders may play an exclusively defensive role, breaking up attacks, and are in that case known as defensive midfielders. As central midfielders often go across boundarie ...

Nemanja Matić Nemanja Matić ( sr-Cyrl, Немања Матић, ; born 1 August 1988) is a Serbian professional footballer who plays as a defensive midfielder for Italian Serie A club Roma. Starting his career as an attacking midfielder, Matić shifted to a d ...

from MFK Košice for a fee of £1.5 million. *27.08.09: Chelsea are grouped with

Porto Porto or Oporto () is the second-largest city in Portugal, the capital of the Porto District, and one of the Iberian Peninsula's major urban areas. Porto city proper, which is the entire municipality of Porto, is small compared to its metropol ...

Atlético Madrid Club Atlético de Madrid, Sociedad Anónima Deportiva, S.A.D. (; meaning "Athletic Club of Madrid"), known simply as Atleti in the Spanish-speaking world and commonly referred to at international level as Atlético Madrid, is a Spanish profess ...

and

APOEL APOEL FC ( el, ΑΠΟΕΛ; short for Αθλητικός Ποδοσφαιρικός Όμιλος Ελλήνων Λευκωσίας, ''Athletikos Podosferikos Omilos Ellinon Lefkosias'', literally "Athletic Football Club of Greeks of Nicosia") ...

in the

UEFA Champions League The UEFA Champions League (abbreviated as UCL, or sometimes, UEFA CL) is an annual club football competition organised by the Union of European Football Associations (UEFA) and contested by top-division European clubs, deciding the competit ...

group stage draw at the

Grimaldi Forum The Grimaldi Forum in Monaco is a conference and congress centre located on the seafront of Monaco's eastern beach quartier, Larvotto. Les Ballets de Monte-Carlo and the Monte-Carlo Philharmonic Orchestra regularly perform there. This is also the ...

Monaco Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Lig ...

. During the ceremony,

John Terry John George Terry (born 7 December 1980) is an English professional football coach and former player who played as a centre-back. He was previously captain of Chelsea, the England national team and Aston Villa. He was most recently the assi ...

is awarded the UEFA Club Defender of the Year award. *29.08.09: Chelsea claim first place in the Premier League for the first time this season with a 3–0 home win over

Burnley Burnley () is a town and the administrative centre of the wider Borough of Burnley in Lancashire, England, with a 2001 population of 73,021. It is north of Manchester and east of Preston, at the confluence of the River Calder and River Bru ...

. In a game characterised by Chelsea's dominance, after

Nicolas Anelka Nicolas Sébastien Anelka (; born 14 March 1979) is a French professional Manager (association football), football manager and retired Football player, player who played as a Forward (association football), forward. As a player, he regularly fe ...

breaks the deadlock from close range before half-time, a quick-fire double at the start of the second half via a

Michael Ballack Michael Ballack (; born 26 September 1976) is a German former professional footballer. He is among the top goal scorers in the history of the German national team. Ballack wore the number 13 shirt for every team he has played for, except 1. FC ...

header and an

Ashley Cole Ashley Cole (born 20 December 1980) is an English football coach and former player who is currently a first-team coach at Premier League club Everton. As a player, he played as a left-back, most notably for Arsenal and Chelsea. Cole is consi ...

volley secures a comfortable victory. During the match, Chelsea are paired with fellow Londoners

Queens Park Rangers Queens Park Rangers Football Club, commonly abbreviated to QPR, is a professional football club based in Shepherd's Bush, West London, England, which compete in the . After a nomadic early existence, they have played home matches at Loftus Ro ...

in the League Cup third round draw. *03.09.09: For inducing reserve player

Gaël Kakuta Gaël Romeo Kakuta Mambenga (born 21 June 1991) is a professional footballer who plays as a winger for club Amiens and the DR Congo national team. A youth product of Lens, Kakuta moved to Chelsea in 2007 in a controversial transfer. Rarely ...

into breaching his contract with his previous club

Lens A lens is a transmissive optical device which focuses or disperses a light beam by means of refraction. A simple lens consists of a single piece of transparent material, while a compound lens consists of several simple lenses (''elements''), ...

, FIFA ban Chelsea from signing any new players nationally or internationally until January 2011, and demand the club to pay Lens £113,500 training compensation. Kakuta is fined £680,000 and banned from playing officially for four months. *15.09.09: After a hard-fought 2–1 win away against

Stoke City Stoke City Football Club is a professional football club based in Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire, England, which competes in the . Founded as Stoke Ramblers in 1863, it changed its name to Stoke in 1878 and then to Stoke City in 1925 after Stoke ...

in the Premier League, a lone Nicolas Anelka goal kicks off Chelsea's Champions League campaign with a tight 1–0 win in Group D over Porto. With mainstays Didier Drogba and

José Bosingwa José Bosingwa da Silva (born 24 August 1982) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a right-back. An attacking fullback, his pace and ability to get up and down the flanks created problems for the opposition. He spent most of his prof ...

suspended for their protests in last year's semi-final, along with the difficulty caused by constant rainfall on the pitch, the Chelsea performance is unusually sloppy, but a solid performance by goalkeeper

Petr Čech Petr Čech (; born 20 May 1982) is a Czech former professional footballer who played as a goalkeeper. He also plays semi-professional ice hockey as a goaltender for Chelmsford Chieftains. Described by numerous players, pundits and managers as o ...

guides the team to victory. Atlético Madrid draw 0–0 at home with APOEL, leaving Chelsea two points clear at the top of the group after one game played. *20.09.09: With a 3–0 win at home against London rivals

Tottenham Hotspur Tottenham Hotspur Football Club, commonly referred to as Tottenham () or Spurs, is a professional association football, football club based in Tottenham, London, England. It competes in the Premier League, the top flight of English footba ...

with goals from Ashley Cole, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba, Chelsea set a new club record of 11 consecutive Premier League victories, surpassing the record of ten games set during the 2005–06 season. *23.09.09: Chelsea kick off their

League Cup In several sports, most prominently association football, a league cup or secondary cup generally signifies a cup competition for which entry is restricted only to teams in a particular league. The first national association football tournament t ...

challenge with a low-key 1–0 home victory over Queens Park Rangers in the

third round Third or 3rd may refer to: Numbers * 3rd, the ordinal form of the cardinal number 3 * , a fraction of one third * 1⁄60 of a ''second'', or 1⁄3600 of a ''minute'' Places * 3rd Street (disambiguation) * Third Avenue (disambiguation) * Hig ...

Salomon Kalou Salomon Armand Magloire Kalou (born 5 August 1985) is an Ivorian professional footballer who plays as a forward and winger for Djiboutian club Arta/Solar7. He previously played for Feyenoord from 2003 to 2006 and Chelsea from 2006 to 2012. Wh ...

notches the only goal, set up by

Joe Cole Joseph John Cole (born 8 November 1981) is an English football coach and former professional footballer who played as an attacking midfielder or winger in the Premier League, Ligue 1, League One and United Soccer League. He is regarded as one ...

in his first game since January. Yuri Zhirkov,

Sam Hutchinson Samuel Edward Hutchinson (born 3 August 1989) is an English professional footballer who primarily plays as a centre-back or defensive midfielder for club Reading. Early and personal life Hutchinson was born in Windsor, Berkshire, in England. H ...

and

Fabio Borini Fabio Borini (; born 29 March 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a winger for Turkish club Fatih Karagümrük. He started his career at Bologna, before moving to Chelsea in 2007. In 2011, Borini joined Championship side ...

all make their first starts for the club. *26.09.09: Although Didier Drogba scores his 100th Chelsea goal against Wigan Athletic to briefly equalise, Chelsea look strangely uninspired in a 1–3 loss at the

DW Stadium The DW Stadium is a stadium in Robin Park, in Wigan, within the Metropolitan Borough of Wigan, Greater Manchester, England. The ground is owned and managed by Wigan Football Company Limited, which is 85% owned by Wigan Athletic and 15% owned ...

, having gone down to ten men after Petr Čech's sending off six minutes after half time following a penalty-worthy challenge on

Hugo Rodallega Hugo Rodallega Martínez (born 25 July 1985) is a Colombian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Bahia. Rodallega started his professional career with Deportes Quindío in 2004. An impressive first season with the club earned him ...

. Chelsea relinquish their Premier League lead to Manchester United, falling into second place on goals scored. *04.10.09: In their first "Big Four" clash of the season, Chelsea edge a typically tight game at

Stamford Bridge Stamford Bridge may refer to: * Stamford Bridge, East Riding of Yorkshire, a village in England ** Battle of Stamford Bridge, 25 September 1066 * Stamford Bridge (bridge), a bridge in the village of Stamford Bridge * Stamford Bridge (stadium), in L ...

with a 2–0 Premier League victory over title rivals

Liverpool Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...

. Didier Drogba sets up both Chelsea goals from wide positions, first from the left for Nicolas Anelka, and then from the right for

Florent Malouda Florent Johan Malouda (born 13 June 1980) is a French football coach and former professional player. A left winger, he spent most of his career at Lyon and Chelsea, winning four consecutive Ligue 1 titles with the former and the UEFA Champions ...

to seal the win in stoppage time. Henrique Hilário proves a solid deputy for the suspended Petr Čech, as the goalkeeper produces excellent saves from

Albert Riera Albert Riera Ortega (born 15 April 1982) is a Spanish former footballer who played as left winger but also as a left-back, currently manager of Slovenian club Olimpija Ljubljana. He made a name for himself at Espanyol (with whom he won a Copa ...

and

Steven Gerrard Steven George Gerrard (born 30 May 1980) is an English professional football manager and former player, who most recently managed club Aston Villa. Described by pundits and fellow professionals as one of his generation's greatest players, Ge ...

to keep the clean sheet, assisted by a horrendous miss from

Yossi Benayoun Yossi Shai Benayoun ( he, יוסי שי בניון; born 5 May 1980) is an Israeli former professional footballer who played as a midfielder. He spent most of his career in England and captained the Israel national team. Born in Dimona, he is s ...

towards the end of the game. Manchester United's fortuitous 2–2 draw with

Sunderland Sunderland () is a port city in Tyne and Wear, England. It is the City of Sunderland's administrative centre and in the Historic counties of England, historic county of County of Durham, Durham. The city is from Newcastle-upon-Tyne and is on t ...

Old Trafford Old Trafford () is a football stadium in Old Trafford, Greater Manchester, England, and the home of Manchester United. With a capacity of 74,310 it is the largest club football stadium (and second-largest football stadium overall after Wemb ...

the day before means Chelsea return to the top of the league. *17.10.09: Chelsea are beaten by

Aston Villa Aston Villa Football Club is a professional football club based in Aston, Birmingham, England. The club competes in the , the top tier of the English football league system. Founded in 1874, they have played at their home ground, Villa Park ...

2–1 away at

Villa Park Villa Park is a football stadium in Aston, Birmingham, England, with a seating capacity of 42,682. It has been the home of Premier League side Aston Villa since 1897. The ground is less than a mile from both Witton and Aston railway stations ...

. Following Didier Drogba's early strike, James Collins and Richard Dunne score the goals which inflict Chelsea's second successive away defeat under Carlo Ancelotti. *24.10.09: Chelsea thrash Blackburn Rovers 5–0 at Stamford Bridge in their most emphatic Premier League victory so far this season, only a few days after humbling Atlético Madrid in the Champions League by one goal less.

enjoys a sparkling performance at the top of the midfield diamond in his first league start since January, with a

Gaël Givet Gaël Givet-Viaros (born 9 October 1981), known as Gaël Givet, is a French former professional footballer who played as a left-footed centre back and as a left-back. Givet was a UEFA Champions League runner-up with Monaco in 2004 and was part of ...

own goal An own goal, also called a self goal, is where a player performs actions that result in them or their team scoring a goal on themselves, often resulting in a point for the opposing team, such as when a football player kicks a ball into their own ...

opening the scoring. A 30-yard

Michael Essien Michael Kojo Essien (born 3 December 1982) is a Ghanaian former professional Association football, footballer who played as a midfielder and is currently a member of Danish Superliga club FC Nordsjælland, Nordsjælland's coaching staff. He was ...

drive sandwiches two goals by Frank Lampard, and Didier Drogba completes the rout with a simple header from a corner. The next day, Liverpool break their four-game losing streak with a 2–0 victory over Manchester United at

Anfield Anfield is a football stadium in Anfield, Liverpool, Merseyside, England, which has a seating capacity of 53,394, making it the seventh largest football stadium in England. It has been the home of Liverpool F.C. since their formation in 1892. ...

. After losing their lead again the previous week, this result leaves Chelsea two points clear. *4.11.09:

Chelsea Chelsea or Chelsey may refer to: Places Australia * Chelsea, Victoria Canada * Chelsea, Nova Scotia * Chelsea, Quebec United Kingdom * Chelsea, London, an area of London, bounded to the south by the River Thames ** Chelsea (UK Parliament consti ...

qualify for the Champions League knockout round after sharing the points in a 2–2 draw with Atlético Madrid at the

Vicente Calderón Stadium The Vicente Calderón Stadium ( es, Estadio Vicente Calderón ) was the home stadium of Atlético Madrid from its completion in 1966 to 2017, with a seating capacity of 54,907 and located on the banks of the Manzanares, in the Arganzuela distric ...

that burst into life into the last ten minutes. After

Sergio Agüero Sergio Leonel Agüero del Castillo (born 2 June 1988), also known as Kun Agüero, is an Argentine former professional footballer who played as a striker. He is considered one of the best strikers of his generation and one of the greatest playe ...

volleyed home midway through the second half, a quickfire double in the last ten minutes by the in-form Didier Drogba gives Chelsea a perhaps undeserved 2–1 lead, canceled out by an Agüero free-kick. *8.11.09: Chelsea beat Manchester United 1–0 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League in a typically tight contest, decided by John Terry's header from an inswinging Frank Lampard free-kick after

Darren Fletcher Darren Barr Fletcher (born 1 February 1984) is a Scottish football coach and former professional player who is currently the technical director of Manchester United, where he spent the majority of his playing career. He mostly played as a cent ...

was controversially judged to have bundled over Ashley Cole on the left-hand side. Despite arguably controlling the game with their 4–3–3 formation, a late rally by United could not salvage them a point against a resolute Chelsea defence. Chelsea increase their lead at the top of the league by five points while

Arsenal An arsenal is a place where arms and ammunition are made, maintained and repaired, stored, or issued, in any combination, whether privately or publicly owned. Arsenal and armoury (British English) or armory (American English) are mostly ...

leapfrog United into second place with a game in hand. *22.11.09: Despite having key players like Frank Lampard, Michael Ballack and Didier Drogba missing through injury, Chelsea romp to a comfortable 4–0 victory at home to Wolves in the Premier League with goals from Florent Malouda, Joe Cole and two from a rampant Michael Essien. While Nemanja Matić makes his Chelsea debut from the bench, Gaël Kakuta also makes a flair-filled first appearance for the club. *29.11.09: Chelsea continue their 100% record in "

Big Four Big Four or Big 4 may refer to: Groups of companies * Big Four accounting firms: Deloitte, Ernst & Young, KPMG, PwC * Big Four (airlines) in the U.S. in the 20th century: American, Eastern, TWA, United * Big Four (banking), several groupings ...

" matches this season with an emphatic 3–0 away win against Arsenal at the

Emirates Stadium The Emirates Stadium (known as Arsenal Stadium for UEFA competitions) is a football stadium in Holloway, London, England. It has been the home stadium of Arsenal Football Club since its completion in 2006. It has a current seated capacity ...

in the Premier League. Two goals from Didier Drogba and an own goal from

Thomas Vermaelen Thomas Vermaelen (born 14 November 1985) is a retired Belgian professional footballer who is currently an assistant coach for the Belgium national team. Being left-footed, he usually played as a left-sided centre-back and could play at left-bac ...

secure the victory, agreed by many to be the pinnacle of Chelsea's season thus far. *16.12.09: Chelsea end their run of four straight games without a win in all competitions, which began with their

elimination by

Blackburn Blackburn () is an industrial town and the administrative centre of the Blackburn with Darwen borough in Lancashire, England. The town is north of the West Pennine Moors on the southern edge of the Ribble Valley, east of Preston and north-n ...

away in the League Cup fifth round, with a closely fought 2–1 victory over

Portsmouth Portsmouth ( ) is a port and city in the ceremonial county of Hampshire in southern England. The city of Portsmouth has been a unitary authority since 1 April 1997 and is administered by Portsmouth City Council. Portsmouth is the most dens ...

, led by former Chelsea manager

Avram Grant Avraham "Avram" Grant ( he, אברהם "אברם" גרנט; born Avraham Granat; ) is an Israeli professional football manager. He has spent the majority of his career coaching and managing in Israel, winning a number of national league and cup ...

, at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. After Nicolas Anelka scores from close-range in the first half, Portsmouth equalize early in the second when a Jamie O'Hara free kick ricochets off two players in the Chelsea wall, falling to

Frédéric Piquionne Frédéric Michel Piquionne (born 8 December 1978) is a Martiniquais former professional footballer who played as a forward. Piquionne's former clubs are Golden Star of Martinique, Nîmes, Rennes, Saint-Étienne, Monaco, Lyon, Portsmouth, ...

who slots home. This typifies Chelsea's recent problem of conceding from set-pieces. The game is won ten minutes from time when Frank Lampard converts the

penalty kick A penalty shot or penalty kick is a play used in several sports whereby a goal is attempted during untimed play. Depending on the sport, when a player commits certain types of penalties, the opposition is awarded a penalty shot or kick attempt. ...

conceded when Marc Wilson takes out

Branislav Ivanović Branislav Ivanović ( sr-Cyrl, Бранислав Ивановић, ; born 22 February 1984) is a Serbian former professional footballer. A versatile defender, Ivanović played as a right back, although he can also play as a centre back. Ivanovi ...

in the Portsmouth area. *04.01.10: Having ended December with two away draws against

West Ham United West Ham United Football Club is an English professional football club that plays its home matches in Stratford, East London. The club competes in the Premier League, the top tier of English football. The club plays at the London Stadium, hav ...

and

Birmingham Birmingham ( ) is a city and metropolitan borough in the metropolitan county of West Midlands in England. It is the second-largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 1.145 million in the city proper, 2.92 million in the West ...

and a tense 2–1 home victory against

Fulham Fulham () is an area of the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham in West London, England, southwest of Charing Cross. It lies on the north bank of the River Thames, bordering Hammersmith, Kensington and Chelsea. The area faces Wandsworth ...

in the

west London derby The West London derby is the name given to a association football, football List of sports rivalries in the United Kingdom, derby played between any two of Brentford F.C., Brentford, Chelsea F.C., Chelsea, Fulham F.C., Fulham and Queens Park Rang ...

, Chelsea begin the

New Year New Year is the time or day currently at which a new calendar year begins and the calendar's year count increments by one. Many cultures celebrate the event in some manner. In the Gregorian calendar, the most widely used calendar system to ...

in style with a 5–0 home demolition of

Watford Watford () is a town and borough in Hertfordshire, England, 15 miles northwest of Central London, on the River Colne. Initially a small market town, the Grand Junction Canal encouraged the construction of paper-making mills, print works, a ...

in the FA Cup third round, despite losing their African players to the

African Cup of Nations The Africa Cup of Nations referred to as AFCON (french: Coupe d'Afrique des Nations, sometimes referred to as CAN, or TotalEnergies Africa Cup of Nations for sponsorship reasons), and sometimes as African Cup of Nations, is the main internati ...

. While Daniel Sturridge scores his first two goals for the club, Chelsea also score via a Florent Malouda deflection, a

John Eustace John Mark Eustace (born 3 November 1979) is an English professional association football, football Coach (sports), coach and former Football player, player who is head coach of club Birmingham City F.C., Birmingham City. During his playing car ...

and a trademark Frank Lampard piledriver. *28.01.10: Chelsea end January on a high after winning all five matches in the month, demolishing

7–2 at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Following that, they continue to score with a 3–0 win at home over Birmingham before a laboured 2–1 win away at

, with John Terry scoring a late header to win the game amidst his affair scandal. They also progress in the FA Cup thanks to a 2–0 win away at

Preston North End Preston North End Football Club, commonly referred to as Preston, North End or PNE, is a professional football club in Preston, Lancashire, England, who currently play in the EFL Championship, the second tier of the English football league syste ...

. *02.02.10: Despite an excellent January, February does not start well with Chelsea succumbing to a 1–1 draw at Hull City. Didier Drogba equalises for Chelsea late in the first-half with a free-kick after Hull's

Steven Mouyokolo Steven Stefan Fabrice Mouyokolo (born 24 January 1987) is a French footballer who last played for Celtic in 2014 as a centre back. He is currently a free agent. Club career Early career Mouyokolo was born in Melun, France to Congolese parents ...

gave the home side the lead with a header from a corner. Chelsea go two points clear of Manchester United but missed a chance to go four points clear after failing to win their game in hand. *04.02.10: FIFA's suspended transfer ban on Chelsea regarding the Gaël Kakuta tapping-up case is lifted by the

Court of Arbitration for Sport The Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS; french: Tribunal arbitral du sport, ''TAS'') is an international body established in 1984 to settle disputes related to sport through arbitration. Its headquarters are in Lausanne, Switzerland and its co ...

, along with all other sanctions. *27.02.10: Chelsea lose at home for the first time in the Premier League under Carlo Ancelotti as Manchester City win 4–2. The game is given extra spice as it is the first time that John Terry and

Wayne Bridge Wayne Michael Bridge (born 5 August 1980) is an English former footballer who played as a left back. A graduate of the Southampton Academy where he made his debut in 1998, Bridge also played for Chelsea, West Ham, Manchester City, Fulham and S ...

have come together following allegations of Terry's affair with Bridge's girlfriend Vanessa Perroncel, which leads to him rejecting Terry's outstretched hand in the pre-match handshake. Frank Lampard opens and closes the scoring, but braces from

Carlos Tevez Carlos Alberto Tevez (; born 5 February 1984) is an Argentine professional football manager and former player. A quick, tenacious, powerful, hard-working and dynamic forward in his prime, Tevez was capable of playing as a striker, as a winger ...

and

Craig Bellamy Craig Douglas Bellamy (born 13 July 1979) is a Welsh former professional footballer who played as a forward and is current assistant manager at EFL Championship side Burnley. Born in Cardiff, Bellamy began his senior playing career with Norw ...

in between are enough to secure a Manchester City victory. *16.03.10: Chelsea are eliminated from the Champions League before the semi-finals for the first time in four years as a 3–1 aggregate loss to Internazionale in the first knockout round sees them crash out of the tournament. A 2–1 defeat at the

San Siro Stadio Giuseppe Meazza, commonly known as San Siro, is a football stadium in the San Siro district of Milan, Italy, which is the home of A.C. Milan and Inter Milan. It has a seating capacity of 80,018, making it one of the largest stadiums in ...

on 24.02.10 is compounded by a 1–0 loss at home in the second leg, with

Samuel Eto'o Samuel Eto'o Fils (; born 10 March 1981) is a Cameroonian football administrator and former player who is the current president of the Cameroonian Football Federation from 11 December 2021. In his prime, Eto'o was regarded by pundits as one of ...

scoring the only goal. The match marks Mourinho's first return to Stamford Bridge as an opposition manager since his departure from Chelsea in September 2007. *21.03.10: Chelsea complete a disappointing week with a draw to Blackburn at

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in the

. After Didier Drogba opens the scoring early on, the game looks to yield a comfortable victory for Chelsea, but a game-ending injury to Branislav Ivanovic proves costly as

El Hadji Diouf El Hadji Ousseynou Diouf (; born 15 January 1981) is a Senegalese former professional footballer. Throughout his career, Diouf played as a winger or a forward. Having started his professional football career in France with Sochaux, Rennes an ...

equalises with twenty minutes to play, beating substitute

right back In the sport of association football, a defender is an outfield position whose primary role is to stop attacks during the game and prevent the opposition from scoring. Centre-backs are usually positioned in pairs, with one full-back on either s ...

Paulo Ferreira Paulo Renato Rebocho Ferreira (; born 18 January 1979) is a Portuguese former footballer who played as a full-back. After starting out at Estoril, he went on to spend the vast majority of his 16-year professional career with Porto and Chelse ...

to a header at the far post. The result sees them slip to third place, four points behind Manchester United with a game in hand. *27.03.10: After bouncing straight back with a 5–0 victory against Portsmouth at

Fratton Park Fratton Park is a football ground in Portsmouth, England, which is the home of Portsmouth F.C. Fratton Park remains as the only home football ground in Portsmouth FC's entire history. The early Fratton Park was designed by local architect A ...

in midweek, Chelsea complete their recovery from the previous week by recording their biggest win of the season with a 7–1 thrashing of Aston Villa at Stamford Bridge. In a game that sees John Terry captain the side for a record 325th time, Frank Lampard scores four times for the second time in his Chelsea career, moving him into third place in the list of Chelsea's all-time highest scorers with 151 goals, above both

Peter Osgood Peter Leslie Osgood (20 February 1947 – 1 March 2006) was an English footballer who was active during the 1960s and 1970s. He is best remembered for representing Chelsea and Southampton at club level, and was also capped four times by England ...

and

Roy Bentley Roy Thomas Frank Bentley (17 May 1924 – 20 April 2018) was an English football player and manager. A former forward, Bentley played 367 games for Chelsea and captained the club to their first League Championship in the 1954–55 season. He ...

. Florent Malouda also nets a brace and Salomon Kalou scores his first Premier League goal of the season. *03.04.10: Chelsea gain a crucial victory in the Premier League title race by defeating top-of-the-table Manchester United 2–1 at Old Trafford, returning to first place by two points with five games to play. The victory ensures that Chelsea maintain their 100% record in "Big Four" matches this season. After Joe Cole caps off a comfortable Chelsea first half with a clever near-post back-heel from Florent Malouda's cross to open the scoring, United begin to gain a foothold in the game in the second half. Didier Drogba comes off the bench to score the winning goal late on from an offside position, but

Federico Macheda Federico Macheda (; born 22 August 1991) is an Italian professional footballer who plays as a forward for Süper Lig club Ankaragücü. Born in Rome, Macheda began his career with local club Lazio, but joined Manchester United when he turned 1 ...

's disputedly handball goal for United minutes later sets up a nervy finish. In a game marked by a poor performance by referee Mike Dean, ignoring plausible penalty shouts by both sides, Chelsea hold on for three emphatic points. *10.04.10: Chelsea defeat Aston Villa at Wembley in the FA Cup semi-final to book a place in their third FA Cup Final in four years. After referee

Howard Webb Howard Melton Webb MBE (born 14 July 1971) is an English former professional football referee who officiated primarily in the Premier League from 2003 to 2014, as well as for FIFA as a FIFA international referee from 2005 to 2014. Webb is cou ...

turns down a strong penalty appeal from

Gabriel Agbonlahor Gabriel Imuetinyan Agbonlahor (born 13 October 1986) is an English former professional footballer who played as a forward; he mostly played as a central striker, but he was also capable of playing on the wing. He spent his entire professional ...

in the first half following a trip from

Mikel John Obi Mikel John Obi (born John Michael Nchekwube Obinna; 22 April 1987) is a Nigerian former professional footballer who played as a defensive midfielder. Mikel began his career with local club Plateau United, before joining Norwegian club Lyn at ...

, Didier Drogba, Florent Malouda and Frank Lampard score in the second half to secure a 3–0 victory. *17.04.10: A 2–1 loss to Tottenham sees Chelsea's lead in the Premier League cut to one point, with Manchester United securing a late winner against Manchester City. Despite losing, Chelsea become the first English team to qualify for the

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. *24.04.10: Chelsea defeat Stoke City 7–0 at Stamford Bridge to record their biggest home win of the season thus far. Salomon Kalou scores his first

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in English football, and a brace from Frank Lampard, coupled with goals from Florent Malouda and Daniel Sturridge, ensure the Blues cruise comfortable. *02.05.10: Chelsea defeat Liverpool 2–0 at Anfield in the penultimate week of the season. Didier Drogba opens the scoring following a sloppy backpass from Steven Gerrard in the first half, and Frank Lampard doubles the lead after the interval. The win ensures that Chelsea end their season with a 100% record against "Big Four" opponents, and means that victory over Wigan on the final day of the season will guarantee Premier League success. *06.05.10: Chelsea's Player of the Year Award goes to Didier Drogba, who claims the gong for the first time in his Chelsea career. Florent Malouda picks up the Samsung Players' Player Award, while the Young Player of the Year is awarded to the entire Chelsea U18 team after their triumph in the FA Cup Youth Final. Ashley Cole's goal against Sunderland earns him the Goal of the Season Award. *09.05.10: Chelsea trounce Wigan 8–0 in their final game of the season, setting a new club record for their biggest ever League win in the process as well as breaking numerous scoring records. They end the league campaign having scored 103 goals, the most in the club's history, the first Premier League side to score 100 goals in a season and the first team since Tottenham in 1961 to score 100 goals in the top flight. They also become the first team in English football history to score seven goals or more in a game on four occasions in a league season. They also finish with an English record goal difference of +71, beating Liverpool's +69 set in 1979. Didier Drogba's second half hat-trick ensures he finishes the season with the Premier League Golden Boot, having scored 29 goals, three more than the 26 scored by second-placed Wayne Rooney. Nicolas Anelka bags a brace while Frank Lampard, Salomon Kalou and Ashley Cole grab the other goals. Most significantly, the win means that Chelsea finish the season as Premier League champions with a total of 86 points, one point more than Manchester United, who finish runners-up. *15.05.10: In their final game of the season, Chelsea face relegated Portsmouth in an entertaining

2010 FA Cup Final The 2010 FA Cup Final was the 129th final of the FA Cup, the world's oldest domestic football cup competition. The match took place on 15 May 2010, at Wembley Stadium, London, in front of a crowd of over 88,000 and a British television audience ...

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. Despite their stark difference in position in the end-of-season table and extended Chelsea pressure, with Chelsea hitting the woodwork five times in the first half, the two sides go in level at half-time. Soon after Portsmouth's

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's penalty is saved by Petr Čech early in the second half, Chelsea finally make their pressure count when Didier Drogba fires in a 59th minute free-kick, his 37th goal of the season. Although Frank Lampard uncharacteristically squanders a penalty of his own late on, Chelsea remain superior, the game eventually ending 1–0. Chelsea consequently end their season as only the seventh club to complete the Double, making it the most successful season in Chelsea history.

Squad

First team squad

Reserve squad

Youth squad

UEFA Champions League squad

Club

Coaching staff

Notes: *''* = Player is no longer with the club but still made an appearance during the season.''

Top scorers

Includes all competitive matches. The list is sorted by shirt number when total goals are equal.

Disciplinary record

Includes all competitive matches. Players with 1 card or more included only.

Overall

{, class="wikitable" , - , Games played , , 55 (38

, 8

, 3

Football League Cup The EFL Cup (referred to historically, and colloquially, as the League Cup), currently known as the Carabao Cup for sponsorship reasons, is an annual knockout competition and major trophy in men's domestic football in England. Organised by the ...

, 6

) , - , Games won , , 39 (27

, 4

, 2

, 6

) , - , Games drawn , , 7 (5

, 2

) , - , Games lost , , 9 (6

, 2

, 1

) , - , Goals scored , , 142 , - , Goals conceded , , 44 , - , Goal difference , , +98 , - , Clean sheets , , 29 , - , Yellow cards , , 82 , - , Red cards , , 6 , - , Worst discipline , ,

(11 , 1 ) , - , Best result(s) , , 8–0 (H) v Wigan Athletic –

– 9 May 2010 , - , rowspan="2", Worst result(s) , , 2–4 (H) v Manchester City –

– 27 February 2010 , - , 3–1 (A) v

–

– 23 September 2009 , - , Most appearances , ,

with 51 appearances , - , Top scorer , ,

(37 goals) , - , Points , , 124/165 (75.15%) , -

Honours

Individuals

Player

{, class="wikitable" border="1" , - ! ! Player ! Award ! Source , - , 1 ,

, 2009 Czech Footballer of the Year,http://www.uefa.com/memberassociations/association=eng/news/newsid=1457060.html Čech voted Czech player of the year 2009–10 Barclays Golden Glove , - , 2 ,

, PFA Team of the Year (2010) , - , 3 ,

, Goal of the Season (2009–10) v

(

) 16 January 2010 , - , 8 ,

, 2010 Football Writers' Association Tribute Award , - , 11 ,

, 2009 BBC African Footballer of the Year, 2009 African Footballer of the Year, PFA Team of the Year (2010), Chelsea Player of the Year (2009–10), 2010 Barclays Golden Boot Winner , - , 15 ,

, Player of the Month (March 2010), Samsung Players' Player of the Year (2009–10) , - , 26 ,

, UEFA European Club Defender of the Year (2009), FIFPro World XI (2008–09) , -