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2008–09 Chelsea F.C. season

April 30, 2023

The 2008–09 season was Chelsea Football Club's 95th competitive season, 17th consecutive season in the Premier League and 103rd year in existence as a football club.

Chelsea F.C.
2008–09 season
OwnerRoman Abramovich
ChairmanBruce Buck
ManagerLuiz Felipe Scolari
(until 9 February 2009)
Ray Wilkins
(caretaker manager)
Guus Hiddink
(interim manager)
StadiumStamford Bridge
Premier League3rd
FA CupWinners
League CupFourth round
UEFA Champions LeagueSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague: Nicolas Anelka (19)
All: Nicolas Anelka (25)
Highest home attendance41,810 v Manchester City
(15 March 2009)
Lowest home attendance37,857 v Barcelona
(6 May 2009)

Kits

Supplier: Adidas / Sponsor: Samsung

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
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Season summary

After again finishing second to Manchester United in the Premier League the previous season, Chelsea sacked their manager Avram Grant, replacing him with the Brazilian Luiz Felipe Scolari, who had managed the Portugal national team at UEFA Euro 2008 that lost in the quarter finals to Germany. The first few months of his management went according to plan, as Scolari's narrow 4–1–4–1 formation, using Ashley Cole and new arrival José Bosingwa as wing-backs, initially took the league by storm, leaving Chelsea top ahead of Liverpool after 13 games.

By the end of November, however, Scolari's Chelsea began to lose their form due to exhaustion. They suffered a 3–1 defeat away to Roma in the Champions League and being eliminated from the League Cup at Stamford Bridge by Championship side Burnley on penalties. In the league, they had a 0–0 draw at home to Newcastle United, (who were later to be relegated). Chelsea lost a home league game for the first time since 2004 (and 86 matches) when they lost to Liverpool, and a second home league defeat to rivals Arsenal dropped Chelsea to second place.

Chelsea qualified for the knock-out stages of the Champions League with a 2–1 victory against Romanian champions CFR Cluj at Stamford Bridge in the final match of the group. During the winter months, they drew against West Ham United, Fulham, Hull City and League One's Southend United in the FA Cup. Chelsea suffered defeats away to Manchester United and Liverpool, which left them in fourth place during February which would mean a Champions League place would not be certain. Long-term injuries to Michael Essien and Joe Cole marked the period while Didier Drogba was not included frequently.

Chelsea sacked Scolari, replacing him with Russia national team manager Guus Hiddink for the remainder of the season. Hiddink's regenerative effect was immediate, with four-straight league wins, including a vital 1–0 victory away to Aston Villa in his first game in charge, moving Chelsea into the top three. Eleven wins in the team's last 13 league games, marked by a 4–1 victory over Arsenal away at the Emirates Stadium, finally secured third place in the league, and Champions League football for a seventh consecutive season.

Although Chelsea's title challenge was already realistically over when he arrived, Hiddink led Chelsea to their fifth Champions League semi-final, knocking out Juventus and Liverpool before they were eliminated by Barcelona on away goals in the semi-final, with the performance of second leg referee Tom Henning Øvrebø proving particularly controversial. Despite the Champions League exit, the season culminated in a trip to Wembley Stadium, with Chelsea's final game of 2008–09 contested against Everton in the 2009 FA Cup Final. Chelsea won 2–1, winning the FA Cup for the fifth time in their history.

Key dates

  • 24.05.08 – Avram Grant is sacked as Chelsea manager.
  • 29.05.08 – Chelsea terminate assistant manager Henk ten Cate's contract.
  • 11.06.08 – Chelsea name Luiz Felipe Scolari as new manager, with his contract officially starting on 1 July 2008.
  • 03.08.08 – Chelsea thrash Milan 5–0 to take third place in the preseason Russian Railways Cup.
  • 17.08.08 – Chelsea start their 2008–09 Premier League campaign with an emphatic 4–0 home victory over Portsmouth.
  • 15.09.08 – Assistant manager Steve Clarke leaves Chelsea to become number two under Gianfranco Zola at West Ham United.
  • 16.09.08 – Chelsea defeat Bordeaux 4–0 at Stamford Bridge in the opening match of the UEFA Champions League.
  • 18.09.08 – Ray Wilkins is appointed assistant manager of Chelsea, in place of the departed Steve Clarke.
  • 21.09.08 – Exactly four months after the 2008 Champions League final, Chelsea draw 1–1 at home against Manchester United in the Premier League.
  • 24.09.08 – For the third time in a row, Chelsea start a competition with a 4–0 win, beating Portsmouth 4–0 away at Fratton Park in the League Cup.
  • 26.10.08 – Chelsea lose 1–0 against Liverpool at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League. Chelsea's home unbeaten run ends after an astonishing 4 years, 8 months and 86 games.
  • 12.11.08 – Chelsea lose 5–4 on penalties after a 1–1 draw in extra time against Burnley at home in the fourth round of the League Cup.
  • 30.11.08 – Chelsea lose 2–1 against Arsenal at home in the Premier League after a Robin van Persie brace. Replays later show the Dutchman's first goal to be offside.
  • 09.12.08 – Chelsea fight back to win 2–1 against CFR Cluj in the UEFA Champions League at home. With the win, they secure second place in Group A and advance to the First knockout round.
  • 03.01.09 – Chelsea draw 1–1 against Football League One side Southend United in the third round of the FA Cup at Stamford Bridge.
  • 11.01.09 – Chelsea lose 3–0 against Manchester United in the Premier League at Old Trafford, their first away loss in the Premier League this season.
  • 17.01.09 – Chelsea snatch a crucial 2–1 home victory against Stoke City in the Premier League after two last minute goals from Juliano Belletti and Frank Lampard. Lampard also makes his 400th appearance for Chelsea.
  • 01.02.09 – Chelsea lose 2–0 against Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League by way of two late Fernando Torres goals after Frank Lampard is incorrectly sent off in the 60th minute.
  • 09.02.09 – Due to the team's poor run of form, endangering Chelsea's hopes of Champions League qualification for the following season, the Chelsea board dismiss Luiz Felipe Scolari from his position as manager with immediate effect. Ray Wilkins is named as caretaker manager while a suitable replacement for Scolari is found.
  • 11.02.09 – Russian national manager Guus Hiddink is named as temporary Chelsea manager until the end of the season.
  • 14.02.09 – With Ray Wilkins in charge as caretaker manager, a Nicolas Anelka hat trick against Watford at Vicarage Road gives Chelsea a 3–1 victory and a place in the FA Cup quarter-finals against Coventry City. Michael Essien makes his return from the bench after six months out of action due to an ACL injury.
  • 21.02.09 – In Guus Hiddink's first match as manager, a Nicolas Anelka goal and a gritty Chelsea performance bring about a vital 1–0 win against Aston Villa at Villa Park, Chelsea's first Premier League victory there since 1998–99. With it, Chelsea overtake Villa to reclaim third place in the table.
  • 25.02.09 – Chelsea end the first leg of their Champions League first knockout round tie against Juventus with a slight advantage, winning the first ever competitive meeting between the clubs 1–0 by a Didier Drogba goal. The match also marks Petr Čech's 200th appearance for Chelsea.
  • 28.02.09 – A John Terry volley and a late Frank Lampard header seal a 2–1 victory for Chelsea over Wigan Athletic in the Premier League. While Liverpool's 2–0 loss to Middlesbrough at the Riverside returns Chelsea to second place, Michael Mancienne makes his first ever Premier League start at right back, John Terry's goal makes him the highest scoring defender in Chelsea history, and Frank Lampard joins George Mills as Chelsea's joint sixth all-time scorer with 125 goals.
  • 10.03.09 – A tempestuous 2–2 second leg draw at the Stadio Olimpico di Torino against Juventus, with goals scored by Michael Essien in his first start since September and a reborn Didier Drogba, gives Chelsea a 3–2 victory on aggregate in their Champions League first knockout round clash, sending them through to the quarter-finals of the competition.
  • 08.04.09 – Chelsea claim a commanding 3–1 win in the first leg of their Champions League quarter-final tie with Liverpool at Anfield, recovering from an early Fernando Torres goal to score twice from the head of Branislav Ivanović, with a reborn Didier Drogba capping off the scoring. Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard is notably marked out of the game by Michael Essien.
  • 11.04.09 – Chelsea take a 4–0 lead after 63 minutes against Bolton Wanderers at Stamford Bridge in the Premier League, scoring through Michael Ballack, a double from Didier Drogba and a penalty from Frank Lampard, for Bolton to surprisingly surge back into the game, scoring three goals in an eight-minute span. Although Bolton come close to equalising in injury-time, Chelsea just manage to hold off their comeback to scrape a 4–3 victory.
  • 14.04.09 – The second leg of Chelsea's Champions League quarter-final match with Liverpool ends in a stunning 4–4 draw. After a clever Fábio Aurélio free-kick and a Xabi Alonso penalty give Liverpool a 0–2 lead in the first 30 minutes, Chelsea fight back in the second half to make the score 3–2 with goals from Didier Drogba and Frank Lampard sandwiching a trademark Alex cannonball free-kick. Two more goals from Lucas and Dirk Kuyt give Liverpool renewed hope in progression, but a second Lampard strike puts the tie to bed. The tie ends 7–5 to Chelsea on aggregate, leaving them to play a rampant Barcelona in the semi-finals, Chelsea's fifth attendance at this stage in six seasons. Ashley Cole's yellow card in this game rules him out of the first leg of that tie, leaving Chelsea without a recognised left back to field at the Camp Nou.
  • 18.04.09 – A mistake by goalkeeper Łukasz Fabiański gifts Didier Drogba an 84th-minute winner in Chelsea's FA Cup semi-final clash against Arsenal at Wembley Stadium, sending Chelsea to a tense 2–1 victory after a goal by Florent Malouda equalises Theo Walcott's early strike. Chelsea consequently reach their ninth FA Cup final, to be contested against Everton on 30 May.
  • 25.04.09 – Petr Čech's save from Mark Noble's penalty secures Chelsea a 1–0 Premier League victory over West Ham United at Upton Park after Salomon Kalou scores his ninth goal of the season before giving away a spot-kick at the other end. Michael Mancienne starts his second Premier League game of the season, while José Bosingwa makes an experimental appearance at left back in preparation for Chelsea's visit to the Camp Nou.
  • 28.4.09 – A masterful defensive display by Chelsea sees them become the first team not to concede a goal at the Camp Nou this season in an intriguing 0–0 draw with Barcelona, the first leg of the clubs' Champions League semi-final tie. Petr Čech shrugs off his recent media criticism with a string of important saves and despite Barcelona's domination on possession, Didier Drogba has an excellent chance to secure an away goal for Chelsea, only to be stopped by a double save from Víctor Valdés at the end of the first half.
  • 02.5.09 – John Terry's 400th game for Chelsea, a West London derby at Stamford Bridge against Fulham in the Premier League, ends in a 3–1 victory to the home side following goals from Gallic trio Nicolas Anelka, Florent Malouda, and Didier Drogba. The asymmetric 4–3–3 formation used by Chelsea in this game, with Anelka playing more like a second striker, was Guus Hiddink's preference for the remainder of the season.
  • 06.5.09 – A controversial 1–1 draw in the second leg of Chelsea's Champions League semi-final tie against Barcelona at Stamford Bridge eliminates Chelsea from the competition on the away goals rule, sending Barcelona to the final to play Manchester United in Rome. Essien's brilliant left footed volley early in the game gives Chelsea the lead, but unclinical finishing and four viable penalty appeals turned down by Norwegian referee Tom Henning Øvrebø allow Barcelona to equalise in the ninety-third minute with their only shot on target all game, a strike from outside the penalty area by Andrés Iniesta, despite the earlier sending off of Eric Abidal. Incensed by the referee's terrible performance, Chelsea players surround and criticise Øvrebø after the final whistle, with Didier Drogba controversially labelling the result "a fucking disgrace" on live international television.
  • 10.5.09 – Chelsea shake off their post-Barcelona blues with an emphatic 4–1 victory against Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League. After surviving an early bout of Arsenal pressure, Chelsea take a 3–0 lead through an Alex header, a long range shot from Nicolas Anelka against his former club, and a Kolo Touré own goal. Nicklas Bendtner pulls one back for the home side, but a tap in from Florent Malouda completes the rout. The result ends the Gunners' 21 game unbeaten run in the league, and is the joint best away result against Arsenal in the league in Chelsea's history. Chelsea will finish the league season in at least third place, securing automatic Champions League qualification for 2009–10.
  • 17.05.09 – Chelsea's last home game of the season against Blackburn Rovers in the Premier League at Stamford Bridge ends in a 2–0 victory, with goals scored by Florent Malouda and Nicolas Anelka. The game is marked by an end-of-season party atmosphere as fans chant repeatedly for Guus Hiddink to remain at the club, criticising the club's apparent pursuit of Milan manager Carlo Ancelotti to replace Hiddink over the summer.
  • 24.05.09 – The last game of Chelsea's 2008–09 season ends in a 3–2 victory against Sunderland away at the Stadium of Light. In preparation for the FA Cup final against Everton the following Sunday, Frank Lampard and Alex are rested, and Sunderland's still uncertain survival in the Premier League leads to a tense first half. Nicolas Anelka's long-range curler early in the second half, his 19th league goal of the season, secures him the Premier League Golden Boot ahead of Cristiano Ronaldo. Salomon Kalou replies to Kieran Richardson's equaliser, and, despite Kenwyne Jones' late header, Ashley Cole's first goal of the season wins the game for Chelsea.
  • 30.05.09 – Chelsea win the 2009 FA Cup Final with a 2–1 victory over Merseysiders Everton, who were chasing their first FA Cup since their victory over Manchester United in 1995. A Louis Saha goal after 25 seconds becomes the fastest in FA Cup history, but Chelsea quickly recover with a Florent Malouda cross finding the head of Didier Drogba. Chelsea continue to dominate before finally taking the lead in the 70th minute, after Frank Lampard escapes his marker Phil Neville for the first time in the game and unleashes a shot from 25 yards. A Malouda shot from 40 yards is incorrectly judged not to have crossed the line after rebounding from the crossbar, but Chelsea hold on for a famous victory. Guus Hiddink ends his short tenure as Chelsea manager with silverware.

Squad

First-team squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF   POR Paulo Ferreira
20 MF   POR Deco
21 FW   CIV Salomon Kalou
26 DF   ENG John Terry (captain)
27 MF   BRA Mineiro
30 GK   WAL Rhys Taylor
33 DF   BRA Alex
35 DF   BRA Juliano Belletti
39 FW   FRA Nicolas Anelka
40 GK   POR Hilário
42 DF   ENG Michael Mancienne
43 FW   SVK Miroslav Stoch
50 MF   ENG Jacob Mellis

[1]

Reserve squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK   WAL Rhys Taylor
— DF   ENG Nana Ofori-Twumasi
— DF   ENG Sam Hutchinson
— DF   ENG Carl Magnay (On loan at Northampton Town)
— DF   NED Jeffrey Bruma
— DF   ENG Michael Mancienne
— DF   ENG Ryan Bertrand (On loan at Norwich City)
— DF   NED Patrick van Aanholt
— MF   ENG Jack Cork (On loan at Watford)
— MF   ENG Liam Bridcutt
— MF   POR Ricardo Fernandes
— MF   ENG Lee Sawyer (On loan at Wycombe Wanderers)
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF   ENG Tom Taiwo
— MF   ENG Jacob Mellis
— MF   ENG Michael Woods
— MF   ESP Sergio Tejera (On loan at Real Mallorca)
— FW   FRA Gaël Kakuta
— FW   POR Fábio Ferreira (On loan at Oldham Athletic)
— FW   SVK Miroslav Stoch
— FW   ENG Shaun Cummings (On loan at MK Dons)
— FW   ISR Ben Sahar (On loan at De Graafschap)
— FW   DEN Morten Nielsen
— FW   ENG Jimmy Smith (On loan at Leyton Orient)

[2]

Youth squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
— GK   GER Niclas Heimann
— GK   KOS Aldi Haxhia
— GK   ENG Sam Walker
— GK   CZE Jan Šebek
— DF   SRI Nikki Ahamed
— DF   ENG Tom Hayden
— DF   ENG Jack Saville
— DF   ENG Ben Gordon
— DF   ENG Billy Joe-King
— MF   POR Aliu Djaló
No. Pos. Nation Player
— MF   EIR Conor Clifford
— MF   TUR Gökhan Töre
— MF   ENG Danny Philliskirk
— MF   ITA Jacopo Sala
— MF   ENG Jordan Tabor
— FW   ITA Fabio Borini
— FW   SWE Marko Mitrović
— FW   ENG Adam Phillip
— FW   ENG Frank Nouble
— FW   SOM Abdoul Rahmar

[3]

UEFA Champions League squad

Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
19 DF   POR Paulo Ferreira
20 MF   POR Deco
21 FW   CIV Salomon Kalou
26 DF   ENG John Terry (captain)
27 MF   BRA Mineiro
30 GK   WAL Rhys Taylor (from List B)
33 DF   BRA Alex
35 DF   BRA Juliano Belletti
39 FW   FRA Nicolas Anelka
40 GK   POR Hilário
41 DF   ENG Sam Hutchinson (from List B)
42 DF   ENG Michael Mancienne (from List B)
43 FW   SVK Miroslav Stoch (from List B)

[4]

Club

Coaching staff

Position Staff
Manager   Luiz Felipe Scolari
(until 9 February 2009)
  Ray Wilkins
(caretaker manager)
  Guus Hiddink
(interim manager)
Assistant managers   Flávio Murtosa
(until 9 February 2009)
  Steve Clarke
(until 15 September 2008)
  Ray Wilkins
First team fitness coach   Darlan Schneider
(until 9 February 2009)
  Glen Driscoll
Goalkeeping coach   Christophe Lollichon
  Carlos Pracidelli
(until 9 February 2009)
Head scout   Michael Emenalo
Match observer scout   Mick McGiven
Club doctor   Dr. Bryan English
Chief scout and director of youth development   Frank Arnesen
Reserve team manager   Brendan Rodgers
(until December 2008)
  Paul Clement
Youth team manager   Paul Clement
(until December 2008)
  Dermot Drummy
Academy manager   Neil Bath
Match analyst   James Melbourne

Source: Chelsea FC

Other information

Owner   Roman Abramovich
Chairman   Bruce Buck
Chief Executive   Peter Kenyon
Ground (capacity and dimensions) Stamford Bridge (41,841 / 103x67 metres)

Source: Chelsea FC

Transfers

In

Summer

# Pos Player From Fee Date
17 DF   José Bosingwa   Porto £16.2 million[5] 12 May 2008
20 MF   Deco   Barcelona £7.9 million[6] 30 June 2008
FW   Fábio Paím   Sporting CP Loan[7] 21 August 2008
27 MF   Mineiro   Hertha BSC Free[8] 24 September 2008

Winter

# Pos Player From Fee Date
MF   Gökhan Töre   Bayer Leverkusen £500,000[9] 30 January 2009
18 MF   Ricardo Quaresma   Inter Milan Loan[10] 2 February 2009

Out

Summer

# Pos Player To Fee Date
MF   Per Weihrauch N/A Retired April 2008
FW   Phil Younghusband Unattached Released Summer 2008
FW   Momoudou Ceesay   Westerlo Free Summer 2008
MF   James Simmonds Unattatched Released Summer 2008
DF   Harry Worley   Leicester City Free[11] 8 May 2008
DF   Adrian Pettigrew Unattached Released 31 May 2008
FW   Hernán Crespo   Inter Milan Free[12] 3 July 2008
9 MF   Steve Sidwell   Aston Villa £5.0 million[13] 10 July 2008
4 MF   Claude Makélélé   Paris Saint-Germain Free[14] 21 July 2008
DF   Khalid Boulahrouz   VfB Stuttgart £3.9 million[15] 21 July 2008
22 DF   Tal Ben Haim   Manchester City £5.0 million[16] 30 July 2008
31 MF   Anthony Grant   Southend United Free[17] 7 August 2008
24 MF   Shaun Wright-Phillips   Manchester City £9.0 million[18] 28 August 2008

Winter

# Pos Player To Fee Date
18 DF   Wayne Bridge   Manchester City £12.0 million[19] 3 January 2009
GK   Stuart Searle   Watford Free 23 January 2009
23 GK   Carlo Cudicini   Tottenham Hotspur Free[20] 26 January 2009

Loaned out

# Pos Player To Start End
FW   Ben Sahar   Portsmouth 1 July 2008 1 January 2009[21]
MF   Jimmy Smith   Sheffield Wednesday 2 July 2008 1 January 2009[22]
DF   Ryan Bertrand   Norwich City 5 July 2008 31 May 2009[23][24]
DF   Slobodan Rajković   Twente 9 July 2008 1 July 2009[25]
FW   Shaun Cummings   Milton Keynes Dons 4 August 2008 3 May 2009[26][27]
14 FW   Claudio Pizarro   Werder Bremen 15 August 2008 30 June 2009[28]
MF   Lee Sawyer   Southend United 18 August 2008 18 November 2008[29]
DF   Jack Cork   Southampton 21 August 2008 1 November 2008[30]
7 FW   Andriy Shevchenko   Milan 25 August 2008 1 July 2009[31]
42 DF   Michael Mancienne   Wolverhampton Wanderers 27 October 2008 29 December 2008[32]
MF   Liam Bridcutt   Watford 27 November 2008 31 January 2009[33][34]
DF   Jack Cork   Watford 2 January 2009 1 July 2009[35]
FW   Ben Sahar   De Graafschap 3 January 2009 1 July 2009[36]
16 MF   Scott Sinclair   Birmingham City 6 January 2009 3 February 2009[37]
MF   Lee Sawyer   Coventry City 26 January 2009 22 February 2009[38]
DF   Carl Magnay   Milton Keynes Dons 30 January 2009 30 February 2009[39]
MF   Jimmy Smith   Leyton Orient 1 February 2009 1 July 2009[40]
MF   Sergio Tejera   Mallorca 2 February 2009 1 July 2009[41]
FW   Fábio Ferreira   Oldham Athletic 20 February 2009 20 March 2009[42]
DF   Carl Magnay   Northampton Town 9 March 2009 9 April 2009[43]
MF   Lee Sawyer   Wycombe Wanderers 19 March 2009 1 July 2009[44]

Overall

Pre-season

23 July 2008 Guangzhou Pharmaceutical   0–4   Chelsea Guangdong Olympic Stadium, Guangzhou
13:00 (Report) Kalou   20'
Lampard   51'
Di Santo   79'
Wright-Phillips   87'		 Referee:   Zhao Liang
26 July 2008 Chengdu Blades   0–7   Chelsea Estádio Campo Desportivo, Macau
13:00 (Report) Anelka   15'
Kalou   31'
Lampard   38'
J. Cole   59', 82'
Di Santo   65'
Wright-Phillips   84'		 Referee:   Tou Lap Meng
29 July 2008 Malaysian Select XI   0–2   Chelsea Shah Alam Stadium, Selangor
13:45 (Report) Anelka   26'
A. Cole   53'		 Referee:   Subkhiddin Sallehk
3 August 2008 Milan   0–5   Chelsea Lokomotiv Stadium, Moscow
11:00 (Report) Lampard   3'
Anelka   8', 18', 51', 58'		 Referee:   Yuri Baskakov

Competitions

Overall

 
2009 FA Cup Winners
Competition Started round Current
position / round 		Final
position / round 		First match Last match
Premier League — — 3rd 17 August 2008 24 May 2009
Champions League Group stage — Semi-finals 16 September 2008 6 May 2009
Football League Cup 3rd round — 4th round 24 September 2008 12 November 2008
FA Cup 3rd round — Winners 3 January 2009 30 May 2009

Source: Competitions

Premier League

Main article: 2008–09 Premier League

League table

Pos Team
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 28 6 4 68 24 +44 90 Qualification for the Champions League group stage[a]
2 Liverpool 38 25 11 2 77 27 +50 86
3 Chelsea 38 25 8 5 68 24 +44 83
4 Arsenal 38 20 12 6 68 37 +31 72 Qualification for the Champions League play-off round
5 Everton 38 17 12 9 55 37 +18 63 Qualification for the Europa League play-off round[a]
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champion
Notes:
  1. ^ a b Since both finalists of the FA Cup (Chelsea and Everton) and the League Cup winners (Manchester United) qualified for the European competitions based on their league position, the sixth-placed team (Aston Villa) received a berth in the Europa League play-off round and the seventh-placed team (Fulham) received a berth in the Europa League third qualifying round.

Results summary

Overall Home Away
Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts W D L GF GA GD W D L GF GA GD
38 25 8 5 68 24  +44 83 11 6 2 33 12  +21 14 2 3 35 12  +23

Source:

Results by round

Round1234567891011121314151617181920212223242526272829303132333435363738
GroundHAHAHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHAAHHAHAHAHAAHHAHAHA
ResultWWDWDWWWLWWWWDLWDDWDLWWLDWWWWLWWDWWWWW
Position11112111221111222222332343222333333333
Points3671011141720202326293233333637384142424548484952555861616467687174778083
Source: Matches
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Matches

17 August 2008 1 Chelsea 4–0 Portsmouth Stamford Bridge, London
13:30 J. Cole   12'
Anelka   26'
Lampard   45+1' (pen.)
Deco   88'		 (Report) James   45+1' Attendance: 41,468
Referee: Mike Dean
24 August 2008 2 Wigan Athletic 0–1 Chelsea JJB Stadium, Wigan
13:30 Cattermole   49' (Report) Deco   4'
Terry   14'
Carvalho   74'		 Attendance: 18,139
Referee: Alan Wiley
31 August 2008 3 Chelsea 1–1 Tottenham Hotspur Stamford Bridge, London
13:30 Deco   10'
Belletti   27'
J. Cole   45'
Bosingwa   86'		 (Report) Bent   45' Attendance: 41,790
Referee: Howard Webb
13 September 2008 4 Manchester City 1–3 Chelsea City of Manchester Stadium, Manchester
17:30 Robinho   13' (Report) Carvalho   16'
Mikel   45'
Lampard   53'
Anelka   69'
Terry   77' (suspension withdrawn)		 Attendance: 47,331
Referee: Mark Halsey
21 September 2008 5 Chelsea 1–1 Manchester United Stamford Bridge, London
14:00 Mikel   68'
Kalou   80'		 (Report) Park   18'
Scholes   36'
Ferdinand   41'
Neville   58'
Berbatov   60'
Rooney   80'
Evra   86'
Ronaldo   90'		 Attendance: 41,760
Referee: Mike Riley
27 September 2008 6 Stoke City 0–2 Chelsea Britannia Stadium, Stoke-on-Trent
15:00 Griffin   55'
Cresswell   66'		 (Report) Bosingwa   36'
Malouda   55'
Anelka   76'		 Attendance: 27,500
Referee: Martin Atkinson
5 October 2008 7 Chelsea 2–0 Aston Villa Stamford Bridge, London
15:00 J. Cole   21'
Anelka   43'		 (Report) Cuéllar   68'
Petrov   78'
Shorey   85'		 Attendance: 41,593
Referee: Chris Foy
18 October 2008 8 Middlesbrough 0–5 Chelsea Riverside Stadium, Middlesbrough
12:45 O'Neil   25'
Alves   77'		 (Report) Kalou   14'
Belletti   51'
Wheater   53' (o.g.)
Lampard   63'
Malouda   67'		 Attendance: 29,221
Referee: Phil Dowd
26 October 2008 9 Chelsea 0–1 Liverpool Stamford Bridge, London
13:30 Malouda   53'
A. Cole   56'
Deco   79'		 (Report) Alonso   10'
Riera   22'
Gerrard   39'
Mascherano   65'		 Attendance: 41,705
Referee: Howard Webb
29 October 2008 10 Hull City 0–3 Chelsea KC Stadium, Hull
19:45 (Report) Lampard   3'
J. Cole   11'
Anelka   50'
Deco   59'
Malouda   75'		 Attendance: 24,906
Referee: Andre Marriner
1 November 2008 11 Chelsea 5–0 Sunderland Stamford Bridge, London
15:00 Alex   27'
Anelka   30', 45', 53'
Lampard   51'		 (Report) Tainio   39' Attendance: 41,693
Referee: Martin Atkinson
9 November 2008 12 Blackburn Rovers 0–2 Chelsea Ewood Park, Blackburn
13:30 Warnock   62'
Simpson   80'		 (Report) Anelka   40', 68'
Malouda   85'		 Attendance: 20,670
Referee: Chris Foy
15 November 2008 13 West Bromwich Albion 0–3 Chelsea The Hawthorns, West Bromwich
17:30 (Report) Bosingwa   34',   57'
Anelka   38', 45'
Terry   51'
Ivanović   78'		 Attendance: 26,322
Referee: Steve Bennett
22 November 2008 14 Chelsea 0–0 Newcastle United Stamford Bridge, London
15:00 (Report) Gutiérrez   50'
Guthrie   86'		 Attendance: 41,660
Referee: Phil Dowd
30 November 2008 15 Chelsea 1–2 Arsenal Stamford Bridge, London
16:00 Djourou   31' (o.g.)
Terry   61'
Ivanović   85'		 (Report) Van Persie   59', 62' Attendance: 41,760
Referee: Mike Dean
6 December 2008 16 Bolton Wanderers 0–2 Chelsea Reebok Stadium, Horwich
15:00 Davies   18'
O'Brien   65'		 (Report) Anelka   9'
Deco   21'
Ballack   81'		 Attendance: 22,023
Referee: Howard Webb
14 December 2008 17 Chelsea 1–1 West Ham United Stamford Bridge, London
16:00 Mikel   21'
Ballack   33'
A. Cole   37'
Anelka   51'		 (Report) Bellamy   33'   45+1'
Cole   40'		 Attendance: 41,675
Referee: Mike Riley
22 December 2008 18 Everton 0–0 Chelsea Goodison Park, Liverpool
20:00 (Report) Terry   35'
Lampard   43'
A. Cole   43'
Ballack   68'		 Attendance: 35,655
Referee: Phil Dowd
26 December 2008 19 Chelsea 2–0 West Bromwich Albion Stamford Bridge, London
13:00 Drogba   3'
Lampard   45+1'
Ballack