1998–99 Chelsea F.C. season

93rd season in existence of Chelsea F.C.

Chelsea 1998–99 football season
Chelsea
1998–99 season
ChairmanKen Bates
ManagerGianluca Vialli
FA Premier League3rd
FA CupQuarter-finals
League CupQuarter-finals
UEFA Super CupWinners
UEFA Cup Winners' CupSemi-finals
Top goalscorerLeague:
Gianfranco Zola (13)
All:
Gianfranco Zola (15)
Highest home attendance35,016 (vs. Derby County, 16 May 1999)
Lowest home attendance17,714 (vs. Helsingborgs IF, 17 September 1998)
Average home league attendance34,754
Home colours
Away colours
Third colours

The 1998–99 season was Chelsea F.C.'s 85th competitive season, seventh consecutive season in the Premier League and 93rd year as a club.

Season summary

After a solid fourth-place finish coupled with European and League Cup success the previous season, Chelsea really felt that they could challenge for the title this season. Chelsea made more big name signings, including French World Cup winning defender Marcel Desailly from A.C. Milan, Spanish international full-back Albert Ferrer from Barcelona and, in a club-record £5.4 million move, Italian international striker Pierluigi Casiraghi from Lazio. Casiraghi's season and career was cut short by a knee injury, but his compatriot Gianfranco Zola had arguably the best season of his career, leading Chelsea to a serious title challenge, scoring 15 goals in all competitions and setting up many other goals for his teammates.

Ultimately, the European Super Cup, won by beating Europeans champions Real Madrid, was the only trophy that Chelsea had to show for their excellence. Their defence of the now-defunct Cup Winners' Cup ended in the semi-finals, while their title challenge was ended in early May when they just couldn't get the better of Manchester United or Arsenal. Nonetheless, a final third-place finish booked them their first ever UEFA Champions League campaign and was another triumph for their excellent young manager Gianluca Vialli, who, at 35, announced his retirement as a player to concentrate on his managerial duties.

Final league table

Pos Team
  • v
  • t
  • e
 Pld W D L GF GA GD Pts Qualification or relegation
1 Manchester United (C) 38 22 13 3 80 37 +43 79 Qualification for the Champions League first group stage
2 Arsenal 38 22 12 4 59 17 +42 78
3 Chelsea 38 20 15 3 57 30 +27 75 Qualification for the Champions League third qualifying round
4 Leeds United 38 18 13 7 62 34 +28 67 Qualification for the UEFA Cup first round
5 West Ham United 38 16 9 13 46 53 −7 57 Qualification for the Intertoto Cup third round
Source: Premier League
Rules for classification: 1) points; 2) goal difference; 3) number of goals scored.
(C) Champions
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 20 15 3 57 30  +27 75 12 6 1 29 13  +16 8 9 2 28 17  +11

Source: 1998-99 FA Premier League table

Results by round
Source: 11v11.com: 1998-99 Chelsea results
A = Away; H = Home; W = Win; D = Draw; L = Loss

Squad

[1][2] Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.

No. Pos. Nation Player
1 GK Netherlands NED Ed de Goey
2 DF Romania ROU Dan Petrescu
3 DF Nigeria NGA Celestine Babayaro
5 DF France FRA Frank Leboeuf
6 DF France FRA Marcel Desailly
7 MF Denmark DEN Bjarne Goldbæk
8 MF Uruguay URU Gustavo Poyet
9 FW Italy ITA Gianluca Vialli
10 FW Italy ITA Pierluigi Casiraghi
11 MF England ENG Dennis Wise (captain)
12 DF England ENG Michael Duberry
13 GK England ENG Kevin Hitchcock
14 DF England ENG Graeme Le Saux
15 MF Italy ITA Samuele Dalla Bona
16 MF Italy ITA Roberto Di Matteo
17 DF Spain ESP Albert Ferrer
No. Pos. Nation Player
18 DF England ENG Andy Myers
19 FW Norway NOR Tore André Flo
20 DF Wales WAL Danny Slatter
21 DF France FRA Bernard Lambourde
22 FW England ENG Mark Nicholls
23 GK Russia RUS Dmitri Kharine
24 MF England ENG Eddie Newton
25 FW Italy ITA Gianfranco Zola
26 DF England ENG John Terry
27 DF England ENG Jon Harley
28 MF England ENG Jody Morris
29 DF England ENG Neil Clement
30 DF Italy ITA Luca Percassi
32 FW Finland FIN Mikael Forssell
34 MF England ENG Nick Crittenden

Left club during season

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

No. Pos. Nation Player
4 DF Scotland SCO Steve Clarke (retired)
7 MF Denmark DEN Brian Laudrup (to Copenhagen)
No. Pos. Nation Player
15 DF England ENG David Lee (to Bristol Rovers)
20 DF Jamaica JAM Frank Sinclair[3] (to Leicester City)

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 England ENG Rhys Evans
- DF England ENG Darren Baxter
- DF England ENG Stephen Broad
- MF Italy ITA Samuele Dalla Bona
- MF England ENG Paul Hughes
- MF England ENG Courtney Pitt
No. Pos. Nation Player
- MF England ENG Jay Richardson
- FW Scotland SCO Steven Hampshire
- FW England ENG Sam Parkin
- FW England ENG Joe Sheerin
- FW England ENG Rob Wolleaston

Statistics

No. Pos Nat Player Total FA Premier League Cup Winners Cup FA Cup Football League Cup
Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals Apps Goals
1 GK Netherlands NED Ed de Goey 48 0 35 0 7 0 6 0 0 0
2 DF Romania ROU Dan Petrescu 45 3 23+9 3 6 0 4 0 3 0
3 DF Nigeria NGA Celestine Babayaro 43 4 26+2 3 7 1 4+1 0 3 0
5 DF France FRA Frank Leboeuf 45 7 33 4 6 1 4 1 2 1
6 DF France FRA Marcel Desailly 44 1 30+1 0 7 1 6 0 0 0
7 MF Denmark DEN Brian Laudrup 10 1 5+2 0 3 1 0 0 0 0
7 MF Denmark DEN Bjarne Goldbæk 31 5 13+10 5 0 0 2+4 0 2 0
8 MF Uruguay URU Gustavo Poyet 37 13 21+7 11 6 0 0 0 3 2
9 FW Italy ITA Gianluca Vialli 20 10 9 1 5 1 3 2 3 6
10 FW Italy ITA Pierluigi Casiraghi 14 1 10 1 4 0 0 0 0 0
11 MF England ENG Dennis Wise 36 2 21+1 0 7 1 5 1 2 0
12 DF England ENG Michael Duberry 32 0 18+7 0 2 0 2 0 3 0
13 GK England ENG Kevin Hitchcock 3 0 2+1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0
14 DF England ENG Graeme Le Saux 45 0 30+1 0 8 0 6 0 0 0
15 DF England ENG Andy Myers 4 0 1 0 1 0 0+2 0 0 0
16 MF Italy ITA Roberto Di Matteo 45 3 26+4 2 7 0 4+2 1 1+1 0
17 DF Spain ESP Albert Ferrer 40 0 30 0 7 0 2 0 0+1 0
19 FW Norway NOR Tore Andre Flo 44 13 18+12 10 8 2 2+1 0 2+1 1
21 DF France FRA Bernard Lambourde 25 1 12+5 0 3 1 2 0 2+1 0
22 FW England ENG Mark Nicholls 16 0 0+9 0 2 0 0+3 0 2 0
23 GK Russia RUS Dmitri Kharine 5 0 1 0 1 0 0 0 3 0
24 MF England ENG Eddie Newton 9 0 1+6 0 1 0 0+1 0 0 0
25 FW Italy ITA Gianfranco Zola 48 15 35+2 13 5 1 6 1 0 0
26 DF England ENG John Terry 7 0 0+2 0 1 0 2+1 0 0+1 0
27 DF England ENG Jon Harley 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+1 0
28 MF England ENG Jody Morris 27 1 14+4 1 2 0 5 0 2 0
29 DF England ENG Neil Clement 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+2 0
30 DF Italy ITA Luca Percassi 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0+1 0
32 FW Finland FIN Mikael Forssell 13 3 4+6 1 0 0 1+2 2 0 0

Statistics taken from [1] Archived 20 May 2009 at the Wayback Machine. Squad details and shirt numbers from [2] Archived 3 March 2008 at the Wayback Machine and [3].

Results

Premier League

Chelsea v Newcastle United
22 August 1998 2 Chelsea 1–1 Newcastle United Fulham, London
Babayaro 23' A. Andersson 43' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Arsenal
9 September 1998 3 Chelsea 0–0 Arsenal Fulham, London
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Nottingham Forest
12 September 1998 4 Chelsea 2–1 Nottingham Forest Fulham, London
Zola 1'
Poyet 35'		 Darcheville 69' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Blackburn Rovers v Chelsea
21 September 1998 5 Blackburn Rovers 3–4 Chelsea Blackburn, Lancashire
Sutton 34', 79' (pen.)
Pérez 57' Red card 66'		 Report Zola 15'
Leboeuf 51' (pen.)
Le Saux Red card 66'
Flo 82', 86'		 Stadium: Ewood Park
Referee: Peter Jones
Chelsea v Middlesbrough
26 September 1998 6 Chelsea 2–0 Middlesbrough Fulham, London
Pallister 46' (o.g.)
Zola 81'		 Report Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Referee: Mike Reed
Liverpool v Chelsea
4 October 1998 7 Liverpool 1–1 Chelsea Liverpool, Merseyside
Redknapp 83' Casiraghi 10' Stadium: Anfield
Chelsea v Charlton Athletic
17 October 1998 8 Chelsea 2–1 Charlton Athletic Fulham, London
Leboeuf 18' (pen.)
Poyet 88'		 Youds 58' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Wimbledon
14 November 1998 11 Chelsea 3–0 Wimbledon Fulham, London
Zola 32'
Poyet 55'
Petrescu 70'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Leicester City v Chelsea
21 November 1998 12 Leicester City 2–4 Chelsea Leicester, Leicestershire
Izzet 40'
Guppy 60'		 Zola 28', 90'
Poyet 39'
Flo 56'		 Stadium: Filbert Street
Chelsea v Sheffield Wednesday
28 November 1998 13 Chelsea 1–1 Sheffield Wednesday Fulham, London
Zola 27' Booth 67' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Everton v Chelsea
5 December 1998 14 Everton 0–0 Chelsea Liverpool, Merseyside
Stadium: Goodison Park
Chelsea v Aston Villa
9 December 1998 15 Chelsea 2–1 Aston Villa Fulham, London
Zola 30'
Flo 90'		 Hendrie 32' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Tottenham Hotspur
19 December 1998 18 Chelsea 2–0 Tottenham Hotspur Fulham, London
Poyet 80'
Flo 90'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Southampton v Chelsea
26 December 1998 19 Southampton 0–2 Chelsea Southampton, Hampshire
Flo 20'
Poyet 48'		 Stadium: The Dell
Chelsea v Manchester United
29 December 1998 20 Chelsea 0–0 Manchester United Fulham, London
Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Coventry City
16 January 1999 22 Chelsea 2–1 Coventry City Fulham, London
Leboeuf 45'
Di Matteo 90'		 Huckerby 9' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Arsenal v Chelsea
31 January 1999 23 Arsenal 1–0 Chelsea Islington, London
Bergkamp 32' Stadium: Highbury
Chelsea v Southampton
6 February 1999 24 Chelsea 1–0 Southampton Fulham, London
Zola 11' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Blackburn Rovers
17 February 1999 25 Chelsea 1–1 Blackburn Rovers Fulham, London
Morris 44' Ward 84' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Liverpool
27 February 1999 27 Chelsea 2–1 Liverpool Fulham, London
Leboeuf 7' (pen.)
Goldbæk 38'		 Report Owen 77' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Referee: Paul Durkin
Chelsea v West Ham United
13 March 1999 28 Chelsea 0–1 West Ham United Fulham, London
Kitson 75' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Aston Villa v Chelsea
21 March 1999 29 Aston Villa 0–3 Chelsea Birmingham, West Midlands
Flo 59', 89'
Goldbæk 86'		 Stadium: Villa Park
Charlton Athletic v Chelsea
3 April 1999 30 Charlton Athletic 0–1 Chelsea Greenwich, London
Di Matteo 11' Stadium: The Valley
Wimbledon v Chelsea
11 April 1999 31 Wimbledon 1–2 Chelsea Croydon, London
Gayle 90' Flo 24'
Poyet 53'		 Stadium: Selhurst Park
Chelsea v Leicester City
18 April 1999 33 Chelsea 2–2 Leicester City Fulham, London
Zola 30'
Elliott 69' (o.g.)		 Duberry 82' (o.g.)
Guppy 88'		 Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Everton
1 May 1999 35 Chelsea 3–1 Everton Fulham, London
Zola 25', 81'
Petrescu 60'		 Jeffers 69' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Leeds United
5 May 1999 36 Chelsea 1–0 Leeds United Fulham, London
Poyet 68' Stadium: Stamford Bridge
Chelsea v Derby County
16 May 1999 38 Chelsea 2–1 Derby County Fulham, London
Babayaro 40'
Vialli 68'		 Carbonari 88' Stadium: Stamford Bridge

Goalscorers

UEFA Super Cup

Date Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
28 August 1998 Spain Real Madrid N 1–0 10,000 Poyet

Goalscorers

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
17 September 1998 R1 Sweden Helsingborg H 1–0 17,714 Leboeuf
1 October 1998 R1 Sweden Helsingborg A 0–0 12,348
22 October 1998 R2 Denmark Copenhagen H 1–1 21,207 Desailly
5 November 1998 R2 Denmark Copenhagen A 1–0 24,188 Laudrup
4 March 1999 QF Norway Vålerenga H 3–0 34,177 Babayaro, Zola, Wise
18 March 1999 QF Norway Vålerenga A 3–2 17,936 Vialli, Lambourde, Flo
8 April 1999 SF Spain Mallorca H 1–1 35,524 Flo
22 April 1999 SF Spain Mallorca A 0–1 18,848

Goalscorers

League Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
28 October 1998 R3 Aston Villa H 4–1 26,790 Vialli (3), Flo
11 November 1998 R4 Arsenal A 5–0 37,562 Leboeuf, Vialli (2), Poyet (2)
1 December 1998 QF Wimbledon A 1–2 19,286 Vialli

Goalscorers

FA Cup

Date Round Opponent Venue Result Attendance Scorers
2 January 1999 R3 Oldham Athletic A 2–0 12,770 Vialli (2)
25 January 1999 R4 Oxford United A 1–1 9,059 Leboeuf (pen.)
3 February 1999 R4 (R) Oxford United H 4–2 32,106 Wise, Zola, Forssell (2)
13 February 1999 R5 Sheffield Wednesday A 1–0 29,410 Di Matteo
7 March 1999 R6 Manchester United A 0–0 54,587
10 March 1999 R6 (R) Manchester United H 0–2 33,075

Goalscorers

References

  1. ^ "FootballSquads - Chelsea - 1998/99".
  2. ^ "All Chelsea players: 1999".
  3. ^ Sinclair was born in Lambeth, England, but also qualified to represent Jamaica internationally.
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