Chelsea started very well against Arsenal on Sunday and dominated much of the first half. However, after 38 minutes, Moises Caicedo was sent off for the Blues. Referee Anthony Taylor overturned his on-field decision after viewing Caicedo’s studs-up challenge on Mikel Merino. The game changed, and although Chelsea took the lead, in the end, they had to cling on for a 1-1 draw.
It was not the first time this season that a sending off had cost them. And it was certainly not their first red card of the 2025/26 campaign. In fact, it was Chelsea’s sixth red card of the season. Caicedo was also the club’s sixth different player to receive his marching orders this term.
Which Chelsea Players Have Been Sent Off?
Chelsea’s red-card haul is all the more “impressive” as they did not have their first player sent off until the 20th of September. They then collected four more in little over a month. However, the Blues then seemed to have put the issue to bed, going over a month without being reduced to 10 men. But Caicedo’s red has reignited the debate about whether Enzo Maresca has a discipline problem in his squad.
- Robert Sanchez v Man United, 20th September
- Trevor Chalobah v Brighton, 27th September
- João Pedro v Benfica, 30th September
- Malo Gusto v Nottingham Forest, 18th October
- Liam Delap v Wolves, 29th October
- Moises Caicedo v Arsenal, 30th November
It is also worth noting that Maresca himself has picked up a red card. The Italian was shown two yellows in his club’s clash with Liverpool on 4 October. Moreover, Nicolas Jackson was also dismissed by the referee at the FIFA Club World Cup in the summer.
These dismissals have proved costly for the Blues too. They lost against both Man United and Brighton, and obviously dropped two crucial points against the Gunners. Arsenal are looking incredibly strong this season, and even a top-four finish could prove a major challenge.
Might Chelsea Set a Premier League Record for Red Cards?
Most sources do not include red cards for managers or coaches in their overall stats. Therefore, if we exclude Maresca’s dismissal, four of the Blues’ sendings-off have come in the league thus far. Four red cards from just 13 games is incredibly poor. Moreover, if the club collects them at the same rate, they would end the 2025/26 campaign with 11 or 12 sendings-off.
That would set a new benchmark in terms of red cards in a Premier League season. Currently, QPR and Sunderland are the joint holders of the unwanted record for the most sendings-off. In 2009/10, Sunderland saw nine players sent to the stands, setting a new league high.
However, just two seasons later, west London outfit QPR matched them. The Hoops also had nine players dismissed in the 2011/12 campaign. Can Maresca’s aggressive side avoid picking up five red cards over their next 25 league clashes? Or might they even get six or more to set a new record?
Time will tell. However, the current group seems almost certain to set a new club record for the most red cards in a Premier League season. In four separate seasons between 2005/06 and 2015/16, the club picked up five sendings off. It would be a major surprise were they not to at least match that record in 2025/26. In better news for Blues fans, they should note that in both 2005/06 and 2009/10 (another of the five-red seasons), the club won the Premier League title!
Ill-Discipline Nothing New at the Bridge
Chelsea have long had a reputation for, shall we say, holding their own on the football pitch. We dread to think how many red cards the likes of Ron “Chopper” Harris would have collected in the PL. Consequently, Blues supporters are used to seeing tackles flying in and the referee frequently having to take action.
Their disciplinary record under their current manager has been truly appalling. The former Leicester boss has taken charge of 84 games for Chelsea. In that time, the club has picked up 10 red cards across all competitions. That means they have had a player dismissed almost once every eight games under the Italian!
However, Chelsea’s poor discipline goes back much further than that. In fact, stats show that the Blues are the dirtiest side in the whole history of the Premier League! The club certainly has a little bit of a reputation, but the stats do indeed bear this out.
The Blues are one of the PL’s ever-present teams, so no side has competed in the division for more seasons than they have. Obviously, this means they are more likely to have collected a higher number of Premier League cards than most other sides. When it comes to red cards, they are not (at least not yet!) the worst offenders.
Chelsea is Not Historically the Worst
Both Arsenal and Everton have collected 110 red cards. Chelsea are choirboys in comparison with just 96. Indeed, Newcastle have also collected 96 red cards, despite spending a number of seasons outside the Premier League.
But when we look at the broader picture of the league’s overall Fair Play table, it is Chelsea who sit top of the pile. Based on a system of one point for a yellow, three points for two yellows that lead to a red, and five points for a straight red, no side has proved more ill-disciplined than the Blues.
Over the years, they have collected a massive 2,031 yellow cards. That is 66 more than Everton and 147 more than Arsenal, and leaves them top of a league they would rather not be starring in.
That paints a picture of ingrained bad discipline on the pitch. And that could make it harder for Maresca to turn around, with supporters at Stamford Bridge always demanding 100% commitment from their side and sure to let any player know about it if they don’t fly into a 50/50. However, if the players and boss cannot stem the flow of red cards, it is hard to see them achieving their aims this season.
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