1998–99 Chelsea F.C. season

Chelsea

1998-99 season
Chairman	Ken Bates
Manager	Gianluca Vialli
FA Premier League	3rd
FA Cup	Quarter-finals
Worthington Cup	Quarter-finals
UEFA Super Cup	Winners
Cup Winners' Cup	Semi-finals
Top goalscorer	League: Gianfranco Zola (13) All: Gianfranco Zola (15)
Highest home attendance	35,016 (vs. Derby County, 16 May 1999)
Lowest home attendance	17,714 (vs. Helsingborgs IF, 17 September 1998)
Average home league attendance	34,754

The 1998-99 season was Chelsea F.C.'s 94th 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 stiker 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 team-mates.

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.

First team squad

Squad at end of season

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
1	GK	NED	Ed de Goey
2	DF	ROU	Dan Petrescu
3	DF	NGA	Celestine Babayaro
5	DF	FRA	Frank Leboeuf
6	DF	FRA	Marcel Desailly
7	MF	DEN	Bjarne Goldbæk
8	MF	URU	Gustavo Poyet
9	FW	ITA	Gianluca Vialli
10	FW	ITA	Pierluigi Casiraghi
11	MF	ENG	Dennis Wise (captain)
12	DF	ENG	Michael Duberry
13	GK	ENG	Kevin Hitchcock
14	DF	ENG	Graeme Le Saux
16	MF	ITA	Roberto Di Matteo

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
17	DF	ESP	Albert Ferrer
18	DF	ENG	Andy Myers
19	FW	NOR	Tore André Flo
21	DF	FRA	Bernard Lambourde
22	FW	ENG	Mark Nicholls
23	GK	RUS	Dmitri Kharine
24	MF	ENG	Eddie Newton
25	FW	ITA	Gianfranco Zola
26	DF	ENG	John Terry
27	DF	ENG	Jon Harley
28	MF	ENG	Jody Morris
29	DF	ENG	Neil Clement
30	DF	ITA	Luca Percassi
32	FW	FIN	Mikael Forssell

Left club during season

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
4	DF	SCO	Steve Clarke (Retired)
7	MF	DEN	Brian Laudrup (to Copenhagen)

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
15	DF	ENG	David Lee (to Bristol Rovers)
20	DF	JAM	Frank Sinclair (to Leicester City)

Reserve squad

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

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
15	MF	ITA	Samuele Dalla Bona
20	DF	WAL	Danny Slatter
34	MF	ENG	Nick Crittenden
—	DF	ENG	Stephen Broad
—	GK	ENG	Rhys Evans

No.	Pos.	Nation	Player
—	MF	ENG	Paul Hughes
—	FW	ENG	Sam Parkin
—	FW	ENG	Joe Sheerin
—	FW	ENG	Rob Wolleaston

Final league table

Main article: 1998-99 FA Premier League

Pos	Team	Pl	W	D	L	F	A	GD	Pts
1.	Manchester United	38	22	13	3	80	37	+43	79
2.	Arsenal	38	22	12	4	59	17	+42	78
3.	Chelsea	38	20	15	3	57	30	+27	75
4.	Leeds United	38	18	13	7	62	34	+28	67
5.	West Ham United	38	16	9	13	46	53	-7	57
6.	Aston Villa	38	15	10	13	55	51	+4	55
7.	Liverpool	38	15	9	14	68	49	+19	54
8.	Derby County	38	13	13	12	40	45	-5	52
9.	Middlesbrough	38	12	15	11	48	54	-6	51
10.	Leicester City	38	12	13	13	40	46	-6	49
11.	Tottenham Hotspur	38	11	14	13	47	50	-3	47
12.	Sheffield Wednesday	38	13	7	18	41	42	-1	46
13.	Newcastle United	38	11	13	14	48	54	-6	46
14.	Everton	38	11	10	17	42	47	-5	43
15.	Coventry City	38	11	9	18	39	51	-12	42
16.	Wimbledon	38	10	12	16	40	63	-23	42
17.	Southampton	38	11	8	19	37	64	-27	41
18.	Charlton Athletic	38	8	12	18	41	56	-15	36
19.	Blackburn Rovers	38	7	14	17	38	52	-14	35
20.	Nottingham Forest	38	7	9	22	35	69	-34	30

Key
Qualified for the Champions League
Qualified for the UEFA Cup
Relegated to Division 1

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	NED	Ed de Goey	48	0	35	0	7	0	6	0	0	0
2	DF	ROU	Dan Petrescu	45	3	23+9	3	6	0	4	0	3	0
3	DF	NGA	Celestine Babayaro	43	4	26+2	3	7	1	4+1	0	3	0
4	DF	ENG	Michael Duberry	32	0	18+7	0	2	0	2	0	3	0
5	DF	FRA	Frank Leboeuf	45	7	33	4	6	1	4	1	2	1
6	DF	FRA	Marcel Desailly	44	1	30+1	0	7	1	6	0	0	0
7	MF	DEN	Brian Laudrup	10	1	5+2	0	3	1	0	0	0	0
8	MF	URU	Gustavo Poyet	37	13	21+7	11	6	0	0	0	3	2
9	FW	ITA	Gianluca Vialli	20	10	9	1	5	1	3	2	3	6
10	FW	ITA	Pierluigi Casiraghi	14	1	10	1	4	0	0	0	0	0
11	MF	ENG	Dennis Wise	36	2	21+1	0	7	1	5	1	2	0
12	MF	DEN	Bjarne Goldbæk	31	5	13+10	5	0	0	2+4	0	2	0
13	GK	ENG	Kevin Hitchcock	3	0	2+1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0
14	DF	ENG	Graeme Le Saux	45	0	30+1	0	8	0	6	0	0	0
15	DF	ENG	Andy Myers	4	0	1	0	1	0	0+2	0	0	0
16	MF	ITA	Roberto Di Matteo	45	3	26+4	2	7	0	4+2	1	1+1	0
17	DF	ESP	Albert Ferrer	40	0	30	0	7	0	2	0	0+1	0
19	FW	NOR	Tore Andre Flo	44	13	18+12	10	8	2	2+1	0	2+1	1
20	MF	ENG	Jody Morris	27	1	14+4	1	2	0	5	0	2	0
21	DF	FRA	Bernard Lambourde	25	1	12+5	0	3	1	2	0	2+1	0
22	FW	ENG	Mark Nicholls	16	0	0+9	0	2	0	0+3	0	2	0
23	GK	RUS	Dmitri Kharine	5	0	1	0	1	0	0	0	3	0
24	MF	ENG	Eddie Newton	9	0	1+6	0	1	0	0+1	0	0	0
25	FW	ITA	Gianfranco Zola	48	15	35+2	13	5	1	6	1	0	0
26	DF	ENG	John Terry	7	0	0+2	0	1	0	2+1	0	0+1	0
29	DF	ENG	Neil Clement	2	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+2	0
32	FW	FIN	Mikael Forssell	13	3	4+6	1	0	0	1+2	2	0	0
33	DF	ITA	Luca Percassi	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0
34	DF	ENG	Jon Harley	1	0	0	0	0	0	0	0	0+1	0

Statistics taken from [1]. Squad details and shirt numbers from [2] and [3].

Starting 11

Considering starts in all competitions.

Considering a 4-4-2 formation

No.	Pos.	Name	Starts
1	GK	Ed de Goey	42
17	RB	Albert Ferrer	33
5	CB	Frank Leboeuf	40
6	CB	Marcel Desailly	37
3	LB	Celestine Babayaro	34
2	RM	Dan Petrescu	30
16	CM	Roberto Di Matteo	32
11	CM	Dennis Wise	29
14	LM	Graeme Le Saux	37
19	CF	Tore Andre Flo	22
25	CF	Gianfranco Zola	42

De Goey Ferrer Desailly Leboeuf Babayaro Petrescu Wise Di Matteo Le Saux Zola Flo

Results

Premier League

Coventry City v Chelsea

15 August 1998 1	Coventry City	2–1	Chelsea	Coventry
	Huckerby 10' Dublin 16'		Poyet 37'	Stadium: Highfield Road

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'  66'	Report	Zola 15' Leboeuf 51' (pen.) Le Saux  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

October 1999 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

Leeds United v Chelsea

October 1999 9	Leeds United	0–0	Chelsea	Leeds, West Yorkshire
				Stadium: Elland Road

West Ham United v Chelsea

8 November 1998 10	West Ham United	1–1	Chelsea	Newham, London
	Ruddock 4'		Babayaro 76'	Stadium: Boleyn Ground

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

Derby County v Chelsea

12 December 1998 16	Derby County	2–2	Chelsea	Derby, Derbyshire
	Carbonari 26' Sturridge 90'		Flo 55' Poyet 59'	Stadium: Pride Park Stadium

Manchester United v Chelsea

16 December 1998 17	Manchester United	1–1	Chelsea	Trafford, Greater Manchester
	A. Cole 45'		Zola 83'	Stadium: Old Trafford

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

Newcastle United v Chelsea

9 January 1999 21	Newcastle United	0–1	Chelsea	Newcastle-upon-Tyne
			Petrescu 39'	Stadium: St. James' Park

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

Nottingham Forest v Chelsea

20 February 1999 26	Nottingham Forest	1–3	Chelsea	Nottingham
	van Hooijdonk 39'		Forssell 6' Goldbæk 25, 83'	Stadium: City Ground

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

Middlesbrough v Chelsea

14 April 1999 32	Middlesbrough	0–0	Chelsea	Middlesbrough, North Yorkshire
				Stadium: Riverside Stadium

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

Sheffield Wednesday v Chelsea

25 April 1999 34	Sheffield Wednesday	0–0	Chelsea	Sheffield
				Stadium: Hillsborough

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

May 1999 36	Chelsea	1–0	Leeds United	Fulham, London
	Poyet 68'			Stadium: Stamford Bridge

Tottenham Hotspur v Chelsea

10 May 1999 37	Tottenham Hotspur	2–2	Chelsea	Haringey, London
	Iversen 38' Ginola 64'		Poyet 4' Goldbæk 73'	Stadium: White Hart Lane

Chelsea v Derby County

16 May 1999 38	Chelsea	2–1	Derby County	Fulham, London
	Babayaro 40' Vialli 68'		Carbonari 88'	Stadium: Stamford Bridge

UEFA Super Cup

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

UEFA Cup Winners' Cup

Date	Round	Opponent	Venue	Result	Attendance	Scorers
17 September 1998	R1	Helsingborg	H	1-0	17,714	Leboeuf
1 October 1998	R1	Helsingborg	A	0-0	12,348
22 October 1998	R2	Copenhagen	H	1-1	21,207	Desailly
5 November 1998	R2	Copenhagen	A	1-0	24,188	Laudrup
4 March 1999	QF	Vålerenga	H	3-0	34,177	Babayaro, Zola, Wise
18 March 1999	QF	Vålerenga	A	3-2	17,936	Vialli, Lambourde, Flo
8 April 1999	SF	Mallorca	H	1-1	35524	Flo
22 April 1999	SF	Mallorca	A	0-1	18,848

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

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