Chelsea nears Premier League record for most team red cards in a single season.

A review of the highest number of red cards in a single Premier League campaign: Chelsea nears the benchmark for clubs with the most player dismissals.

Chelsea’s performance throughout various tournaments during the 2025/26 calendar has frequently suffered due to their consistent issues with self-control on the field.

For instance, in both of their Premier League encounters against Arsenal, one of their players received a red card. While they secured a draw at their home ground against the presumptive champions, the match held at the Emirates Stadium concluded with a 2-1 defeat for the team led by Liam Rosenior.

Chelsea fields a youthful roster that possesses a comparative deficit of top-tier experience; however, the substantial count of red cards accumulated by them in 2025/26 — encompassing a dismissal for their prior head manager, Enzo Maresca — cannot be solely attributed to the enthusiasm of their young players.

Indeed, they are currently approaching the highest recorded tally for a solitary club within a single Premier League season.

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Highest number of ejections in a single Premier League campaign

The apex for team red cards within one Premier League season is collectively maintained by two outfits: Sunderland and Queens Park Rangers, each accumulating nine dismissals over a single competitive period.

Sunderland initially reached this specific milestone during the 2009/10 period. Queens Park Rangers equaled this feat a couple of years subsequent to that.

During the 2025/26 season, Chelsea accumulated their eighth red card on the 28th matchday, an incident occurring when Pedro Neto was expelled from the game versus Arsenal at Emirates Stadium. Nevertheless, solely seven of these cards were issued to active players; the remaining one was directed at the then-manager Maresca, thereby making their pursuit of this specific record more intricate.

The official statistical ledger of the Premier League identifies Sunderland and QPR as the clubs accumulating the highest number of red cards within a distinct season.

Teams with the highest tally of red cards in a particular Premier League season

What is Chelsea’s red card count for the 2025/26 season?

Overall, Chelsea has been issued nine red cards throughout the 2025/26 campaign, though merely seven of these were presented to players during Premier League fixtures.

The remaining pair of dismissals involved Liam Delap, who incurred two rapid yellow cards during a Carabao Cup victory against Wolves in October, and previous manager Maresca, who received a red card due to his enthusiastic reactions following his squad’s triumph over Liverpool at Stamford Bridge nearly a month prior.

This clarifies why certain media sources might assert that Chelsea has accumulated nine, eight, or seven red cards over the course of the season thus far.

Chelsea’s player dismissals in 2025/26

During the 2025/26 period, nine distinct individuals associated with Chelsea have been shown red cards, with one incident (Delap’s) occurring in the Carabao Cup and another involving their primary coach.

A total of five were direct expulsions, whereas the remaining four resulted from accumulating two cautions.

Robert Sanchez

Sanchez was given a direct red card merely five minutes into Chelsea’s match against Manchester United at Old Trafford on September 20. The custodian committed a foul on Bryan Mbeumo beyond the confines of his penalty box at a moment when the attacker had a clear path to score.

Trevoh Chalobah

Seven days after the loss to United, Chalobah received a dismissal for fouling Georginio Rutter subsequent to a VAR examination during a fixture at home against Brighton and Hove Albion. The Seagulls ultimately secured a 3-1 victory, courtesy of two goals scored during additional time at Stamford Bridge.

Malo Gusto

Gusto’s red card during the match with Nottingham Forest on October 18 marked the third expulsion within four league fixtures for Chelsea. This particular incident carried no immediate repercussions — the Blues had already established a 3-0 lead at the City Ground by the point Gusto accumulated his second yellow card — however, he faced suspension for their subsequent fixture against Sunderland, which concluded in a 2-1 defeat.

Moises Caicedo

On November 30, Caicedo received a caution for an ill-advised tackle on Mikel Merino, although a VAR assessment proposed that the infraction be escalated to a red card. Chelsea fought to achieve a 1-1 stalemate against Arsenal, notwithstanding playing the entirety of the second half with a numerical disadvantage.

Marc Cucurella

Cucurella was shown a direct red card for committing a tactical foul on Harry Wilson during a 2-1 defeat to Fulham on January 7, with the newly appointed manager Liam Rosenior observing from the spectator area. The score stood at 0-0 when the sending-off occurred.

Wesley Fofana

Chelsea held a 1-0 advantage at their home ground against Burnley on February 21 when Fofana received a second yellow card for an infraction against James Ward-Prowse. The Clarets subsequently netted a tying goal in the 93rd minute, resulting in Fofana being suspended for the subsequent defeat against Arsenal a week following.

Pedro Neto

Chelsea’s ninth red card of the ongoing league campaign occurred on March 1. Neto had previously been cautioned for disputing a decision before he launched into an ill-judged tackle against Gabriel Martinelli in an attempt to thwart a counter-offensive. The Blues proved incapable of initiating a comeback and thus suffered a 2-1 defeat.