Norwich was decidedly not ready for Chelsea. Mind, Norwich hasn’t really been ready for anyone this season but once the flood gate had a crack, it burst open for the onrushing Blues. Seven goals later, and it probably could have been more, Chelsea had their biggest victory in some time and Norwich had their worst loss of the season.
It stands out because a Premier League blowout just hits different. Sure, Chelsea has piled it on in cup competitions but that just doesn’t feel the same. What stands out even more is how long it has been since Chelsea really put a team to the sword like this. So, in the past decade, what have been the biggest blowout score lines for the Blues (the good ones, that business in 2018 doesn’t count)? Also, it’s only getting counted if there is a clean sheet. That zero next to the score line is very important in this context.
Honorable Mention: Everton, 5-0, November 2016
Chelsea has had a lot of 5-0 wins in the past decade, but few left their mark like the one against Everton. Antonio Conte’s 3-4-3 was at its best as then Everton manager Ronaldo Koeman was one of the first to try to match a back three with a back three. It was a disaster. As soon as Eden Hazard opened the scoring, Marcos Alonso came soon thereafter. Diego Costa rounded out the first half but the Blues weren’t done yet. Hazard showed up again and Pedro put the final stamp on it.
It was a completely dominant performance. Almost as soon as the match ended, commentators were calling it one of the best performances in recent memory. Everton, with Romelu Lukaku up top, couldn’t get a single shot on target. The win sent the Blues top of the table as the Blues solidified their title credentials that season.
3. Arsenal, 6-0, March 2014
Arsene Wenger’s 1000th match in charge of Arsenal demanded something special and the Blues made sure to celebrate appropriately. The week had all been about praising Wenger and anyone familiar with Jose Mourinho would know that just wouldn’t do. The match would tie Arsenal’s biggest margin of defeat with Wenger and it would be Chelsea’s biggest margin of victory over the Gunners.
Before Arsenal went down a man, Chelsea had already scored twice through Samuel Eto’o and Andre Schurrle. Arsenal could have tried to hold it at that, but they pushed on, leaving space for Hazard and Oscar to add to the first half tally. The second half slowed, but Oscar again added his name to the score sheet alongside Mohammed Salah(!).
Chelsea wouldn’t win the title that year, but it was among the first signs that they were getting close to it and that Arsenal’s time of staying afloat in the top four was running shorter.
2. Norwich, 7-0, October 2021
Hey, we know this one! Yes, Chelsea’s most recent victory is also their second biggest Premier League victory this decade. It started as a continuously Cobham affair. Mason Mount, Callum Hudson-Odoi, and Reece James all scored before the first half. Ben Chilwell turned it into an everlasting English job when he scored the fourth. One own goal by Englishman Max Aarons later and Norwich would go down to 10 men. Mount would round off his hattrick with a retaken pen and a simple tap in to all but ensure Norwich would be relegation’s canary in the coal mine (again).
What will be lost with time is the context of this match. Much of the buildup in recent weeks has been devote to Chelsea’s scoring woes. Thomas Tuchel’s done an amazing job of creating an impenetrable defense but the offense is still lacking. Except, that is, on one day when first met 20th. Norwich had no solutions for the Blues as they blew past their previous biggest margin of victory with Tuchel.
1. Aston Villa, 8-0, December 2012
Not quite one full decade ago, Aston Villa completely imploded against a ruthless patchwork Chelsea team just two days before Christmas. The winter slog can turn out weird results like this one but Chelsea was on another level in their post Club World Cup haze.
The first half was innocent enough. Fernando Torres scored almost immediately, followed by David Luiz (the midfielder) and Branislav Ivanovic. Frank Lampard would follow up with a fourth near the hour mark but it truly all went wrong for Villa in the last 15 minutes. Just before, Lucas Piazon was brought on and I’m not saying he’s the reason why the chaos happened but it is awfully suspicious.
Piazon set up the fifth goal for Ramires. Oscar would convert a penalty. Hazard, not wanting to be let out, would add one more. Ramires would score once more. And to top off the craziness, Piazon would see a penalty saved in the dying moments to deny the 9-0.
Rafa Benitez’s Chelsea was weird in a lot of ways, but this match was something else. It helped the Blues shake off the loss at the Club World Cup and push on for the remainder of the season.
What do you think of Chelsea’s blowouts? Let us know in the comments and on Twitter!