Season: 2007–08
Premier League
League
José Mourinho’s fourth season ended six matches in — and Avram Grant took Chelsea to their first Champions League final.
- Division
- Premier League (Tier 1)
- Manager
- José Mourinho (until 19 September 2007) Avram Grant (from 20 September 2007)
- Top scorer (league)
- Frank Lampard (10)
- Top scorer (all comps)
- Frank Lampard (20)
- Avg. league attendance
- 41,397
Cups & Europe
- FA Cup
- Sixth round
- League Cup
- Runners-up
- Europe
- European Cup / Champions League: Runners-up
- Other
- Charity/Community Shield: Runners-up
Notes
José Mourinho’s fourth season ended six matches in — and Avram Grant took Chelsea to their first Champions League final. The Premier League finished 25–10–3, 65–26, on 85 points (25×3+10), two behind Manchester United on 87. Home form was 12–7–0 (36–13) — unbeaten all year at the Bridge — and away 13–3–3 (29–13). Goal difference +39. The three league defeats were all away: Aston Villa, Manchester United and Arsenal. Reading, Birmingham City and Derby County went down. On the last day Chelsea needed a win and a United slip; instead a 1–1 draw with Bolton left them runners-up again. Mourinho left by mutual consent after the 1–1 Champions League home draw with Rosenborg on 18 September — until 19 September 2007 — and Grant took over from 20 September. Frank Lampard led the scoring with 10 league goals and 20 in all competitions, ahead of Drogba (8/15), Joe Cole (7/10) and Kalou (7/11). The Community Shield opened the year — Manchester United 1–1 at the new Wembley on 5 August, then United won 3–0 on penalties (Malouda; Giggs). The Carling Cup cleared Hull 4–0, Leicester 4–3, Liverpool 2–0 and Everton 2–1 and 1–0, then Tottenham won the final 2–1 after extra time at Wembley on 24 February — Drogba’s opener cancelled by Berbatov’s penalty and Woodgate’s winner. The FA Cup beat QPR 1–0, Wigan 2–1 and Huddersfield 3–1 before Barnsley ended it 1–0 at Oakwell in the Sixth round. Champions League Group B (Rosenborg, Valencia, Schalke) was topped; Olympiacos fell 3–0 on aggregate, Fenerbahçe 3–2, and Liverpool 4–3 in the semi-finals — including a 3–2 extra-time win at the Bridge. The first all-English Champions League final, at Luzhniki in Moscow on 21 May, finished 1–1 after extra time (Ronaldo; Lampard) before United won 6–5 on penalties — Terry slipped with the chance to win it, Anelka’s kick was saved. Grant was dismissed three days later. No trophy for the first time in four years, but the club’s first European Cup final. Crowds averaged 41,397 for home league games — high 41,837 against Fulham, low 39,447 against Derby. Adidas’s royal blue with white socks, the fluorescent-yellow away of Moscow night, the white third and Samsung Mobile across the chest framed the near-miss.
Kits
The unforgettable fluorescent-yellow away of the Moscow final season.
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chelsea_F.C.
Illustration from hex colours (not official kit photography).
On this day (related years)
History
Eras, trophies, and great matches in the History section.
Explore history →Sources
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._seasons
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_Chelsea_F.C._season
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_FA_Premier_League
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_FA_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_Football_League_Cup
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007_FA_Community_Shield
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2007%E2%80%9308_UEFA_Champions_League
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_UEFA_Champions_League_Final
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jos%C3%A9_Mourinho
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Avram_Grant
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_Chelsea_F.C._managers
- https://www.fchd.info/CHELSEA.HTM
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Summaries/2007.htm
- https://bounder.friardale.co.uk/Results/2007.htm
- https://www.bounder.friardale.co.uk/Managers.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea.htm
- https://www.historicalkits.co.uk/Chelsea/Chelsea-change-kits.html