Chelsea's Consistency, Inconsistency at Stamford Bridge

LONDON, SATURDAY - Although they have changed coaches, Chelsea continues to struggle with inconsistent results at Stamford Bridge. They often make things difficult for themselves when playing at home. This time, the inconsistency is attributed to disciplinary issues that have haunted "The Blues" since the era of coach Enzo Maresca.

Chelsea should have easily defeated newly promoted Burnley after taking an early lead through striker Joao Pedro at Stamford Bridge in London on Saturday (February 21, 2026) WIB. However, Liam Rosenior's team was forced to share the spoils after striker Zlan Flemming equalized in second-half injury time. The match ended in a 1-1 draw.

The main cause of the host's anticlimax was the red card given to defender Wesley Fofana in the 72nd minute. While Chelsea was comfortably dominating the game, the defender received a second yellow card due to a harsh tackle. Burnley gained a breath of fresh air as they were only facing ten players. The situation quickly turned at the end of the match.

"In the first half, we were still trying to get into the game. In the second half, we played against 10 players, but it was not easy because they have quality players. Their quality can be a problem, but we showed a desire and passion that was very classy," said Burnley Coach Scott Parker.

Disciplinary issues have been a significant problem for Chelsea since the Maresca era. Since the beginning of the season, they have received six red cards in the league. This is the highest number of penalties in the entire league. For context, no other team has received more than four red cards this season. This issue is very concerning for "The Blues."

The problem is that Chelsea's chances of winning drastically decline when playing with ten men. They have only won once out of six matches after receiving a red card. That victory was achieved against Nottingham Forest. Even then, they won because they were already leading 3-0 when defender Malo Gusto was sent off in the 87th minute.

Just look at the match earlier, Chelsea immediately lost control following the Fofana incident. They, who dominated 72.4 percent of ball possession, had to defend entirely with only 31.1 percent possession. Burnley also produced seven shots during the last 18 minutes of regular time, more than in the first 72 minutes (5 times).

Rosenior stated that the issue of team discipline has not troubled him. This is because Chelsea received a red card for the first time under the current coach. "I can only speak based on my experience so far. Our disciplinary record is quite good, but indeed that red card is not advantageous," he said.

Rosenior focused more on the issues faced by Cole Palmer and his teammates in front of the goal. They actually had several great opportunities, one of which was from Palmer, but failed to extend their lead. According to Rosenior, this problem of sharpness is also what caused them to fail to win against Leeds United in the previous match.

"We should have won this match. We should have been more ruthless. In the second half, we had many moments that ended without the right finishing touch. The best teams will certainly be able to finish the match easily. The best teams show no mercy when they are ahead. If not, you really have to keep the goal untouched," said Rosenior.

As a result, Chelsea have dropped four points from their last two matches at Stamford Bridge. Both games were against newly promoted teams. Previously, they were held to a 2-2 draw by Leeds after taking a two-goal lead. Palmer had a chance worth 0.87 xg (expected goals) late in the match, but failed to convert it into the winning goal.

The latest trend for "The Blues" appears to be much worse when viewed from the start of the season. Chelsea has so far lost 17 points from a leading position at Stamford Bridge. This is the worst in the team's history since 1995-96. As a result, they have failed to capitalize on their home advantage, becoming only the 8th best team in home record.

The price to be paid for that inconsistency is very high. If they could maintain their advantage at home, Chelsea might currently be at the top of the standings and competing for the championship. However, they are now only in fourth place (45 points) and are at risk of being surpassed by competitors, including Manchester United (45) and Liverpool (42).

When viewed from the statistics, Chelsea is indeed less sharp when playing at home. They have only scored 23 goals from 14 matches, significantly trailing behind championship contenders such as Arsenal (31 goals) and Manchester City (32 goals). In fact, that number is lower than the productivity of "The Blues" when playing away (25 goals). (AP/REUTERS)