Chelsea discipline problems examined as the Blues could break the record for most red cards in a season

Martin Macdonald

• Updated: 9 Mar 2026 09:41 CDT
• 4 min read

Analysis

If Chelsea continue on their current trajectory of indiscipline, they could be about to break an unwanted Premier League record that has stood for 14 years.

So far in the Premier League in 2025/26, the Blues have had seven players sent off for a variety of issues and that stretches to nine in all competitions.

Pedro Neto, Robert Sanchez, Malo Gusto, Trevoh Chalobah, Moises Caicedo, Wesley Fofana and Marc Cucurella have all received their marching orders in Premier League matches, while Joao Pedro and Liam Delap have saw red in the Champions League and League Cup, respectively.

Former manager Enzo Maresca was even sent off earlier in the campaign for allegedly over-celebrating a last-minute winner against Liverpool.

The last player to be dismissed was Neto, who received two bookings in a recent match against rivals Arsenal, the second of which came after a needless lunge on Gabriel Martinelli.

The Blues lost that game 2-1 and afterwards, manager Liam Rosenior said:

"If we don't eradicate the set-play issues that have started to creep into our game and our discipline issues, then for all of the good things we do in the game, we are not going to get what we want to achieve.

"I have respect for the previous manager Enzo [Maresca]. I don't speak about what happened before but it is starting to happen with me.

"That's something I felt we had addressed. We went 10 games without a red card, now [we have had] two in two games and that's a problem we need to solve."

On average, Chelsea are receiving a red card once every four games in the Premier League and if that trend continues until the end of the season, they could match or exceed the current record, which is nine dismissals.

Reece James said of the issue to Sky Sports: "Every time it's someone different, not the same player. Internally, we need to review and keep improving. It's a problem. We are playing in the toughest league in the world — 11 v 11 is tough; 11 v 10 is even harder, no matter who you are playing."

Who holds the record for the most red cards in a season?

At the moment, Sunderland from 2009/10 and Queens Park Rangers from 2011/12 jointly hold the record for the most red cards received in a single season.

Five teams have received eight red cards in a single season - Leicester in 1994/95, Blackburn in 1998/99, West Ham in 1999/00, Newcastle in 2008/09 and Sunderland again in 2013/14.

Chelsea's current tally of seven is a club record in the Premier League era and if the lack of discipline continues, they could match the overall record held by Sunderland and QPR.

The Blues also hold the record for the most yellow cards received in a Premier League season and that is 104, received in 2023/24.

They are rock bottom of the Premier League Fair Play table for 2025/26, too.

Expert's view

FootballTransfers' Chelsea expert Cameron Smith:

"Chelsea’s disciplinary record has been an issue for several years now, with the club finishing bottom of the Premier League fair play table in 2023-24 and 19th last season.

"It’s plagued their campaign yet again this term and there isn’t an individual player responsible either, which is far worse than having only one or two stars prone to red cards.

"Nine different players have been sent off across all competitions for Chelsea this season, with seven of those dismissals coming in the Premier League.

"The lack of an experienced head in the dressing room is alarmingly apparent and the squad don’t seem to be able to deal with adversity, such as poor refereeing decisions going against them. Dissent is a real issue and senior figures like Enzo Fernandez and Pedro Neto are setting an extremely bad example in this area.

"When excluding games in which Chelsea have gone down to 10 men, they have won 12, drawn seven and lost only three of their 22 matches in the Premier League this season.

"By comparison, in the seven league fixtures in which they’ve received a red card, Chelsea have won just once, drawn twice and lost four times. Their only win with 10 men came versus Nottingham Forest back in October, with Malo Gusto sent off in the 87th minute when Chelsea were already 3-0 up.

At 11vs11, Chelsea are one of the best teams in the Premier League, but their ill-discipline has cost them time and time again this season."

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