To say that the 2009/10 English Premier League season was entertaining would be to understate to a huge degree. Chelsea’s victorious campaign under newly-appointed Carlo Ancelotti was to be one of the watershed seasons in the Premier League as the West London side denied Manchester united a fourth Premier League title in a row with a record-breaking display of attacking football.
The season began with a nice run of fixtures for Ancelotti’s side, who beat Hull City, Sunderland, Fulham, Burnley and Stoke City in their first five fixtures, as they eased in new signings such as Yuri Zhirkov, Nemanja Matic and Daniel Sturridge, who as it would transpire, would hardly feature at all other than in substitute appearances.
After that opening run of comfortable wins against lower-half opposition, Chelsea showed in their next four fixtures displays that would come to define their league season. After beating Tottenham Hotspur 3-0 at Stamford Bridge, Chelsea then lost away to Wigan. Right back at it in the next game, The Blues beat Liverpool at home, before again losing on their travels at Aston Villa. A frailty on the road to teams who were prepared to try to open Chelsea up was emerging, but Ancelotti persevered with an outrageously attacking formation. Flair players such as Florent Malouda and Joe Cole had a field day, wing-backs like Ashley Cole flew forward in cavalier fashion.
During a season in which they scored a record 103 Premier League goals, Chelsea didn’t just beat teams, they beat them up. The Blues smashed seven goals past Sunderland, Aston Villa and Stoke City during the second half of the season. They would win their final game at home to Wigan, a game that they had to win to seal the title, 8-0.
Yet, along the way, there were weaknesses in what remains the only season during which Chelsea won both the Premier League and F.A.Cup. This game at Stamford Bridge provided much pre-match entertainment as Wayne Bridge refused to shake John Terry’s hand in the build-up, alleged to be due to a perceived indiscretion committed by Terry against Bridge in their private lives.
The game itself was a belter, however. It finished Chelsea 2-4 Manchester City and it could easily have seen 10 goals hit the back of the West London nets.
While Chelsea’s home and away victories against Manchester United (1-0 and 2-1 wins proving the difference in the title race), in European football, The Blues were less than convincing, crashing out of the UEFA Champions League before the semi-final stage for the first time in four seasons. It was way before that, too, as Jose Mourinho returned to haunt his former side, eking out a brilliant tactical victory in the second leg at Stamford Bridge after winning the first leg 2-1 at the San Siro.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpMxchz1Mew
Chelsea would crash out of the League Cup early, too, losing on penalties to Blackburn. In the F. Cup, however, The Blues reigned supreme. In the six matches they played to win the cup and clinch a famous double, the only teams they had to beat featured none of the perceived ‘Big Six’. Victories over Watford, Preston North End, Cardiff City, Stoke City, Aston Villa and Portsmouth in the final proved simple as Chelsea swatted aside half a dozen weak opponents in sweeping to the F.A. Cup win.
Chelsea finished the season in style, thrashing Wigan to claim the title and prove that they might have become the league’s best ever ‘flat track bullies’. Lower sides were beaten out of sight, and those pivotal top two battles saw Ancelotti’s men come out on top.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bN8oak1tGus
Ancelotti would depart less than two years after he was appointed, with short spells for Andre Villas Boas, Roberto Di Matteo and Rafa Benitez all following in an odd period in Chelsea’s chequered club history. With the benefit of hindsight, it’s hard to see exactly how Ancelotti was allowed to leave so soon having redefined how neutral fans saw Chelsea during his tenure; less of a pragmatic force and more of a flair-driven football side who could continue entertaining to the final whistle.
