Chelsea Set Unbeaten Home Record
Sixty Four Games since Blues were last Beaten at Stamford Bridge
Chelsea's opening day win over Birmingham City saw them establish a new record for consecutive unbeaten home league games. Their last defeat was to Arsenal in Feb. 2004.
Chelsea’s win over Birmingham City at Stamford Bridge in August established a new record for the number of consecutive undefeated home League games. Seven months on that record now stands at an incredible seventy seven games with fifty seven wins. Chelsea have not lost a league game at Stamford Bridge since February, 2004 when Arsenal beat their London rivals by two goals to one.
Defeat in February, 2004
That match had started so well for Chelsea who were challenging unbeaten Arsenal for the Premier League title. They had taken a first minute lead through Eidur Gudjohnsen but the visitors came back to score twice in five minutes and take the lead within twenty minutes. The Chelsea goal scorer was then sent off after an hour to compound the home team’s disappointment.
Liverpool's Old Record
Chelsea’s record breaks the record set by Liverpool in the late 1970s, long before the introduction of the Premier League and before football became awash with money. It was Bob Paisley’s successful team which included players like Alan Hansen and Kenny Dalglish that had held the previous record when they made Anfield a fortress from February 1978 until December 1980.
Now renowned Chelsea players like Gianfranco Zola, Marcel Desailly, Eidur Gudjohnsen, John Terry, Frank Lampard, Michael Essien and Petr Cech have contributed in setting the new record.
Win over Birmingham City
Birmingham City made life difficult for Chelsea, taking an early lead and then equalising before half-time after the home team had gone ahead. Two goalkeeping errors assisted Chelsea to their record which was completed with a second half goal from Michael Essien.
Ranieri's Record
The record started during the final days of Claudio Ranieri’s time as manager of Chelsea and has been carried on successfully by Jose Mourinho for the past three seasons. Ranieri led Chelsea to second place in the Premiership that season, behind unbeaten Arsenal. It was the clubs highest finish in half a century but he was sacked at the end of the season after four years in charge.
The new record started with a win over neighbours Fulham in March, 2004. Eidur Gudjohnsen again gave Chelsea an early lead only for Fulham to equalise but Damien Duff secured Chelsea’s win with a goal after thirty minutes. They had took their sequence of unbeaten home games to six by the end of the season.
Mourinho Takes Over
During Mourinho’s three years as manager Chelsea have never lost a home Premier League game as they went on to claim two successive titles and a runners-up place.
In those sixty four games, Chelsea have forty eight victories and have scored 134 goals, while only conceding 31. Rather surprisingly, Chelsea’s biggest winning margin during this time is 4-0 which they have achieved on six occasions against Southampton, Blackburn Rovers, Newcastle United, Norwich City, West Bromwich Albion and Watford. They have defeated seven clubs on three occasions during this period and the surprise name on the list is Liverpool, the only member of the top four elite to have suffered that fate.
Another Landmark in Mourinho's Career
Chelsea’s next opponents at home are Portsmouth at the end of the month when Jose Mourinho is looking to establish another milestone in his managerial career. If his team avoid defeat, it will be his one hundredth consecutive home success as a manager, carrying his record back into his days as manager of Porto in Portugal. He last lost a home league game as a manager in February, 2002.
