Can Rosenior’s Men Avoid An Unwanted Premier League Record?

Chelsea’s unpredictable 2025/26 season took another dramatic twist on Saturday.

‎What looked like a routine home win over Burnley turned into yet another frustrating chapter in a campaign defined as much by discipline issues as by football. João Pedro had put the Blues ahead and in full control, but Wesley Fofana’s red card shifted the momentum entirely, allowing Zian Flemming to punish Chelsea deep into injury time with a late equaliser.

‎The result itself was disappointing, but the bigger story lies in Chelsea’s astonishing disciplinary record.

‎Fofana’s dismissal was their ninth red card of the season across all competitions, a number made even more remarkable by the fact that every sending-off has been shown to a different individual, including head coach Enzo Maresca.

‎For Liam Rosenior, who arrived with a reputation for structural discipline and defensive order, this chaotic trend is becoming a defining and damaging theme.

‎Every Chelsea Red Card So Far

‎Chelsea’s accumulation of red cards has been relentless. It began early in the campaign, with Robert Sánchez receiving his marching orders just five minutes into a defeat against Manchester United in September.

‎Trevoh Chalobah and João Pedro followed within days, the latter sent off deep into stoppage time during a tense Champions League clash with Benfica.

‎October brought more trouble as Maresca himself was red-carded during a win against Liverpool, followed shortly by Malo Gusto’s late dismissal at Nottingham Forest. Liam Delap received a red card in the EFL Cup thriller against Wolves, while November brought another setback when Moisés Caicedo was sent off early in a 1-1 draw with Arsenal.

‎Chelsea barely had time to regroup after the New Year before Marc Cucurella was dismissed just 22 minutes into a loss at Fulham.

‎The culmination came with Fofana’s 72nd-minute red card against Burnley, leaving Rosenior visibly exasperated on the touchline. Each dismissal has felt unique in its circumstances, but together they form a pattern that is undeniably impacting the team’s results.

‎The Cost of Ill-Discipline

‎Every Premier League match in which Chelsea has been reduced to ten men has come at a cost.

‎Across six league fixtures played a man down, they have managed only one win and collected just five points. In a season where the race for European qualification is brutally competitive, such self-inflicted wounds threaten to derail their ambitions completely.

‎Rosenior has been tasked with stabilising Chelsea tactically and emotionally, but this streak of dismissals is something he has yet to get a grip on. The squad is young, talented, and aggressive by nature, yet the lack of composure in key moments is becoming a fundamental weakness.

‎How Close Are Chelsea to Making Premier League History?

‎With 11 league matches remaining, Chelsea still face Arsenal, Aston Villa, Newcastle, both Manchester clubs, Liverpool, and Tottenham. These are tense fixtures by default matches where emotions run high and discipline is regularly tested.

‎In other words, there will be no shortage of opportunities for the red-card count to grow.

‎The Premier League’s single-season red-card record stands at nine, jointly held by Sunderland in 2009/10 and Queens Park Rangers in 2011/12. Chelsea have already reached nine across all competitions, but only six of those have come in the league.

‎That places them within reach of the infamous benchmark.

‎Historically, reaching eight or more red cards has been a worrying omen. Both Blackburn in 1998/99 and Newcastle in 2008/09 collected eight points and were relegated.

‎Only twice has a club finishing seventh or higher done so with seven or more dismissals, Arsenal in 1998/99 and Everton in 2002/03. The data paints a clear picture, that discipline matters, and poor discipline is usually punished.

‎Can Rosenior Stop the Bleeding?

‎Chelsea’s remaining schedule is challenging, and their temperament will be tested repeatedly. With 29 percent of the season still to play, the Blues are flirting with a record that no club wants attached to their name.

‎If the trend continues, nine red cards in the league or even the unprecedented ten cannot be ruled out.