The 2004–05 season was Chelsea Football Club's 91st competitive season, 13th consecutive season in the Premier League and 99th year as a club. Managed by José Mourinho during his first season at the club, Chelsea won the Premier League title (their first league title in 50 years) and the League Cup.
The season was historic for the vast number of Premier League records set during the season. The list of achievements included; most points won in a season (95), most away wins in a season (15), most clean sheets kept in a season (25), fewest goals conceded away in a season (9), most wins in a season (29) and fewest goals conceded in a season (15). As of the 2025-26 Premier League season, this Chelsea side still holds the defensive records for most clean sheets and fewest goals conceded in a Premier League season.
After missing out on the league title to the unbeaten Arsenal in the previous season, Chelsea continued spending large sums of money in order to build a squad capable of challenging for honours. They were in their second season under the ownership of Roman Abramovich, enabling them to sign five players for more than £10 million each, including Ivorian striker Didier Drogba from Marseille and defender Ricardo Carvalho from Mourinho's former club, Porto. Portuguese defender Paulo Ferreira also followed Mourinho to Chelsea from Porto.
In the Champions League, Chelsea aimed to improve upon their semi-final placing the previous year, but in the end only matched their achievement after losing to Liverpool. They also exited the FA Cup in the fifth round to eventual semi-finalists Newcastle United.
Kits
The team kit was produced by Umbro. The shirt sponsor was the airline Emirates; the kit bore the "Fly Emirates" logo. Chelsea's home kit, all blue with a white collar, was retained from the previous season. Their new away kit was black with grey shorts and accents. Chelsea retained last season's away kit (all white with black and blue stripes down the center) as the third kit for this season.
Management
Players First team squad Squad at end of season
Left club during season
Reserve squad The following players did not appear for the first-team this season.
Under-18s The following players spent most of the season playing for the under-18s, but may have appeared for the reserve team.
Transfers
In #PosPlayerFromFeeDate20 DF Paulo Ferreira Porto £13,200,000 23 June 20041 GK Petr Čech Rennes £7,100,000 1 July 200416 MF Arjen Robben PSV £12,200,000 1 July 20049 FW Mateja Kežman PSV £5,300,000 13 July 200415 FW Didier Drogba Marseille £24,200,000 20 July 200430 MF Tiago Benfica £10,400,000 21 July 20046 DF Ricardo Carvalho Porto £19,850,000 28 July 200433 DF Nuno Morais Penafiel £2,300,000 29 August 200427 MF Jiří Jarošík CSKA Moscow £3,100,000 6 January 2005
Out #PosPlayerToFeeDate7 MF Winston Bogarde Unattached Released 1 July 200420 MF Juan Sebastián Verón Internazionale Loan 1 July 20049 FW Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink Middlesbrough Free 1 July 200432 FW Mikael Forssell Birmingham City Loan 1 July 20046 DF Marcel Desailly Al-Gharafa Free 6 July 200415 DF Mario Melchiot Birmingham City Free 9 July 200417 MF Emmanuel Petit Unattached Released July 200412 MF Mario Stanić N/A Retired 9 July 200430 MF Jesper Grønkjær Birmingham City £2.2 million 12 July 200439 FW Carlton Cole Aston Villa Loan 14 July 200421 FW Hernán Crespo Milan Loan 15 July 200434 GK Neil Sullivan Leeds United Free 31 July 200424 MF Boudewijn Zenden Middlesbrough Free 2 August 200431 GK Marco Ambrosio Grasshoppers Free 11 August 2004
Overall transfer activity
Spending Summer: £91,350,000
Winter: £3,000,000
Total: £94,350,000
Income Summer: £2,200,000
Winter: £0
Total: £2,200,000
Expenditure Summer: £89,150,000
Winter: £3,000,000
Total: £92,150,000
Premier League
A total of 20 teams competed in the Premier League in the 2004–05 season. Each team played 38 matches; two against every other team and one match at each club's stadium. Three points were awarded for each win, one point per draw, and none for defeats. At the end of the season the top two teams qualified for the group stages of the UEFA Champions League; teams in third and fourth needed to play a qualifier.
The provisional fixture list was released on 24 June 2004, but was subject to change in the event of clashes with other competitions, international football, inclement weather, or matches being selected for television coverage.
August–October Chelsea opened their Premier League campaign at home against a depleted Manchester United side on 15 August 2004. Eiður Guðjohnsen's 14th-minute goal was enough to separate the two sides, 1–0. The result was followed by another 1–0 win a weekend later, this time away at Birmingham City thanks to a strike by substitute Joe Cole. A few days later, Chelsea journeyed across London to Selhurst Park to face newly promoted Crystal Palace. A Didier Drogba debut goal for his new club (a header from a Celestine Babayaro cross) and a controlled, outside-the-box effort by Tiago were enough to ensure a 0–2 win and maintain Chelsea's 100 per cent start. Chelsea concluded August with a 2–1 home win over Southampton. James Beattie gave the visitors a shock lead after 12 seconds (the fastest Premier League goal of the season and Chelsea's first conceded); Beattie subsequently scored an own goal at the other end following a Chelsea corner, and a Frank Lampard penalty four minutes short of half-time set Chelsea on their way to all three points, leaving them in second place (behind fellow 100 percenters Arsenal on goal difference).
Due to the international fixtures, Chelsea did not play again until 11 September, dropping their first points of the season in a 0–0 draw at Aston Villa, but both sides were not without their chances to break the deadlock, Drogba having a penalty claim turned down and being booked for diving in the process. A second successive 0–0 draw, at home to Tottenham Hotspur, meant they lost ground on defending champions and leaders Arsenal, falling two points behind. Chelsea later claimed their first win of the month courtesy of a free-kick routine finished by Drogba nine minutes from time away at Middlesbrough one week later to give them a vital 0–1 win. At the end of September 2004, Chelsea were still occupying second place, two points behind Arsenal.
Chelsea began October with yet another 1–0 win, this time against Liverpool, a Joe Cole flick from an inswinging Lampard free kick maintained their unbeaten league start. The run, however, ended after they suffered their first and only defeat of the season away at Manchester City, with Nicolas Anelka stroking home a penalty in the 11th minute that he won himself after being felled in the box by Paulo Ferreira. The result cast Chelsea further behind pace-setters Arsenal, the margin now at five points. Manager Jose Mourinho maintained his optimism regarding his side's performances despite the media bemoaning Chelsea's lack of goals and style of play, particularly in contrast to the verve of unbeaten league leaders Arsenal.
Nonetheless, Chelsea recorded one of their most emphatic victories of the season a week later, winning 4–0 at home against Blackburn Rovers, an Eiður Guðjohnsen hat-trick set them on their way to the win. The result was significant in that it closed the gap to two points, as Arsenal lost their unbeaten record in controversial fashion a day later at Old Trafford, losing 2–0 to Manchester United. Another irrefutable result, a 1–4 win away at West Bromwich Albion, pulled Chelsea level with Arsenal (but behind on goal difference) at the end of October, as the reigning champions were showing signs of faltering, narrowly earning a 2–2 draw that day.
November–December A 1–0 home win against Everton at Stamford Bridge coupled with another draw for Arsenal allowed Chelsea to top the table for the first time in the season. A week later, they retained their two-point lead at the top thanks to a thumping 4–1 away triumph at Fulham. Despite a 2–2 home draw to Bolton, they maintained their table-topping lead after Arsenal could only manage a 1–1 draw themselves to West Brom at home on the same day; Chelsea rounded off November 2004 with a 4–0 thumping of Charlton at The Valley with Duff, Terry twice and Gudjohnsen all on the scoresheet to see Chelsea move 5 points clear at the top as Arsenal suffered their second defeat of the season at Liverpool the next day.
Chelsea began the new month as they ended the last, with a 4–0 victory, this time at home against Newcastle. In their next outing, they visited rivals Arsenal and despite going behind twice, notched twice to earn a 2–2 draw at Highbury and preserve their lead at the top of the Premier League. Chelsea won the rest of their December fixtures without conceding: 4–0 vs Norwich, 1–0 vs Aston Villa, and 2–0 away to Portsmouth - as they closed 2004 sitting top of the league, five points clear of second-placed reigning champions Arsenal.
January–February
2005 began with a trip to Anfield on New Year's Day, Joe Cole once again proved the difference between the two sides, finding the back of the net five minutes after coming on as a substitute to earn a now-routine 1–0 victory for the visitors. They went on to win all their remaining games in January to nil (2–0 vs Middlesbrough, 2–0 away at Tottenham Hotspur and 3–0 against Portsmouth), extending their commanding lead to 10 points, as rivals Arsenal continued to flounder.
As February dawned, Arsenal lost 4–2 against Manchester United at Highbury, the latter leapfrogging Arsène Wenger's Arsenal into second and prompting the Frenchman to rule his side (now 13 points behind leaders Chelsea) out of the title race. Despite Manchester United showing signs of a mid-season surge, Chelsea continued their relentless form, earning a 1–0 win at Blackburn Rovers on 2 February. In doing so, Petr Cech (who saved a penalty late on in the game to ensure Chelsea's victory) set a new record of minutes gone without conceding (781), breaking Peter Schmeichel's record of 695 with Manchester United. The eighth straight win saw the Blues move 11 points clear as their quest for a first Premier League title remained on track.
They later dropped their first points of 2005, a 0–0 stalemate at home to Manchester City, but soon returned to winning ways with a 1–0 away victory at Everton on 12 February, closing the month with a 9-point advantage over second-placed Manchester United.
March–April
Chelsea conceded their first goal in 2005, during a 3–1 win at Norwich on 5 March, to end Petr Cech's Premier League record of minutes without conceding at 1,028 (later broken by Edwin van der Sar of Manchester United in 2009). The Blues went on to register a 1–0 win over West Bromwich Albion at home and completed March with a 4–1 victory against Crystal Palace at Stamford Bridge as they closed in on their first league title for 50 years.
The penultimate month of the season opened for Chelsea with a 3–1 away win over Southampton, a well-worked team goal finished off by Eidur Gudjohnsen rounding off the result with seven minutes to spare. A week later on 9 April, Didier Drogba rescued a point for the West Londoners after Walter Pandiani had given Birmingham City a shock lead with half an hour to go at Stamford Bridge; however, their form and results elsewhere conspired to leave Chelsea needing just six points from their last six fixtures of the campaign to be assured of their first-ever Premier League title.