A somewhat disappointing finish in fourth place has Chelsea fans waiting eagerly for next year’s Premier League season to start. While the 67 points saw the squad squeak through to the Champions League places, the icing on the cake came on 29 May 2021, when the club lifted the European Cup with a great display against Premier League champions Man City.
It had been a long road for the club. When the 2020-21 season started, fans were excited about what Lampard would achieve this season. While players faced issues related to fixture congestion, Premier League fans had more games to follow than ever before.
Even better, the year started off with a bang as strikers put away a surplus of goals at the season start for an average of 3.79 goals per game in the first 38 matches. That number was 40 more than the 2019-20 season.
It was a treat for all football fans, and Chelsea’s earliest games hinted that their £220 million summer transfers may have been money well spent. Their progress in the Champions League was also off to a promising start—and then came the holiday season.
What began as a momentous season spiraled into a ninth-place in the Premier League table. Though showing some signs of promise in his role, Frank Lampard was ultimately let go. Chelsea fans mourned the loss of their most prized player-turned-manager, but we all knew it was for the best.
However, the capture of Thomas Tuchel gave us all renewed hope. And, although it looked like we may drop off at some point, the squad scrapped their way back into Champions League qualification.
Though the club is facing a few new issues, the future is bright for Tuchel and the Blues. As of mid-June, top talents in Mason Mount, Antonio Rudiger, and Thiago Silva are all set to return for the 14th August season start. N’Golo Kanté and Reece James will also play key roles in the club’s future.
But before looking ahead, let’s look back at Chelsea’s top three performances this past season.
Chelsea vs. Leicester 2-1
18 May 2021
Although opinions abound on the greatest matches of the 2020-21 Premier League season, one sportswriter for the Guardian got it right in selecting the 18th May faceoff as one of the greatest of the year.
The match itself was a hotbed of action. A total of seven yellow cards handed out—most of which came in the last moments of the game. The number of yellow cards makes sense given the intensity with which the game was played. This was the first game at Stamford Bridge in the 2020-21 season to see the return of fans to the stadium.
The result was a palpable excitement that even those viewing from home could feel. Even better, Chelsea avenged their loss to Leicester City in the FA Cup from three days before.
Chelsea vs. Manchester City 2-1
8 May 2021
Though Man City took the lead with a goal from Sterling before halftime (and almost a second in half-time added time), the Blues came back strong in the second half. Ziyech netted the first goal, and Alonso buried the game’s winning goal in stoppage time.
But it wasn’t the Blues’ most exciting win over Man City…
Chelsea vs. Manchester City 1-0
Champions League Final 29 May 2021
Before landing a place in the Final, Chelsea eased past Atlético, Porto, and Real Madrid—with each leg having its own season-topping highlights. However, Chelsea faced Man City once again, and this time was hungry to prove that first-place finish in the Premier League wouldn’t necessarily translate to success in the Champions League.
The game was evenly matched, but a late goal in the first half from Havertz couldn’t be answered by Man City. The week before, Chelsea managed to remove City from the running in the FA Cup, and then went on to further end their dreams of a never-before-seen quadruple by nabbing the Champions League title.