League record
What the numbers show
Chelsea won 47.4% of league matches and avoided defeat in 28 of 38. The side averaged 1.71 goals scored and 1.21 conceded per match, producing a +19 goal difference.
Against the preceding comparable campaign, league position fell by 4 and goal difference moved from +36 to +19.
The campaign
The 2011–12 league record placed Chelsea 6th in the Premier League. A +19 goal difference and 28 unbeaten league matches show the balance behind that finish; the position was 4 places lower than 2010–11.
Beyond the league, the recorded competition outcomes were FA Cup: winners; League Cup: fifth round; European Cup/Champions League: winners. The FA Cup and European Cup/Champions League successes links this campaign directly to the honours archive.
The managerial record links the campaign to André Villas-Boas, Roberto Di Matteo. Frank Lampard led the recorded scoring list with 16 goals.
Place in Chelsea history
The first Champions League triumph in Munich transformed a difficult domestic campaign into a defining season.
Related Chelsea history
The season in detail
Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League but won both the FA Cup and the Champions League. The contrast is central to the season: domestic inconsistency existed alongside the most consequential European result in club history.
The European run required recoveries against Napoli and Barcelona before the final with Bayern Munich. Didier Drogba's late header forced extra time in Munich, Petr Čech saved a penalty there and further saves in the shootout preceded Drogba's decisive kick.
Winning the Champions League qualified Chelsea for the following competition despite the league finish. That consequence shows why a season cannot always be read through domestic position first, while the sixth-place record remains part of the full assessment.
Across 38 league matches Chelsea won 18, drew 10 and lost 10, finishing with a +19 goal difference. FA Cup: W; League Cup: R5; European Cup/Champions League: W.