UEFA Champions League: Chelsea finals and history

Jaquob Crooke Published: 05 Dec 24 10:10

The first and only London club to win the UEFA Champions League, Chelsea have established themselves as a powerhouse amongst Europe's elite clubs.

Roman Abramovich's arrival ushered in a trophy-laden era for the Blues and saw them compete at the top table for several years, suffering final heartache against Premier League rivals Manchester United in 2008.

Chelsea finally got their hands on the coveted UEFA Champions League crown in 2012 before joining an exclusive list of clubs to have triumphed on more than one occasion in 2021.

Chelsea UEFA Champions League finals

Date	Score
21 May 2008	Chelsea 1-1 Manchester United (5-6 on penalties)
19 May 2012	Chelsea 1-1 Bayern Munich (4-3 on penalties)
29 May 2021	Chelsea 1-0 Manchester City

How many UEFA Champions League titles have Chelsea won?

Chelsea have been victorious in the UEFA Champions League on two occasions in 2012 and 2021.

Chelsea UEFA Champions League history

1954/55 First Division champions, Chelsea were set to become the first English club to compete in the European Cup and were drawn against Swedish outfit Djugårdens IF before being forced to withdraw from the competition by the Football Association as politics intervened.

Chelsea made appearances in the Inter-Cities Fairs Cup and were twice victorious in the European Cup Winners' Cup/UEFA Cup Winners' Cup in 1971 and 1998, though it wasn't until the 1999/00 UEFA Champions League that the Blues finally dined at the top table.

Gianluca Vialli's men progressed to the quarter-finals on competition debut and came agonisingly close to eliminating Barcelona. Taking a 3-1 lead to the Nou Camp, Chelsea were on the brink of progression when Dani Garcia struck with seven minutes of normal time remaining to restore parity in the tie.

Extra time ensued and the Blues' heroics were floored as Rivaldo and Patrick Kluivert netted to send the Catalan giants through.

Chelsea would have to wait another three years before their next UEFA Champions League appearance.

One of the most important goals in the club's history, Jesper Gronkjaer scored the winner against Liverpool on the final day of the 2002/03 season, which ensured Chelsea qualified for the Champions League at the expense of Gerard Houllier's men.

Qualification for Europe's elite club competition made them an increasingly attractive proposition to prospective buyers and in the summer of 2003, Ken Bates sold Chelsea to a certain Roman Abramovich for £140m.

As Abramovich descended on Stamford Bridge with bottomless pockets and an intention to upset the established order, his primary objective at Chelsea was clear: to win the UEFA Champions League.

For years they tried, and for years they failed.

In the space of four years Chelsea progressed to the semi-final stages three times and on two of those occasions, their run was ended by Liverpool. They got their revenge in 2007/08, however, defeating the Merseyside club 4-3 on aggregate in the last four to set-up a mouth-watering all-English affair with Manchester United in Moscow.

Falling behind to Cristiano Ronaldo's header, Avram Grant's side weathered the storm before Frank Lampard popped up with an equaliser on the stroke of half-time. Despite being on the front foot for prolonged periods of the second half and extra time, the final was taken to penalties.

John Terry, with the chance to win it, famously slipped as his effort struck the outside of the post and Edwin van der Sar thwarted Nicolas Anelka to ensure the UEFA Champions League trophy was heading to Old Trafford.

Controversially eliminated by Barcelona at the semi-final stage in the following season, Chelsea would claim their retribution in 2011/12.

A campaign where Barcelona were heavily fancied to defend their crown under the stewardship of Pep Guardiola, Chelsea were picking up the pieces of a dismal league campaign with interim manager Roberto Di Matteo at the helm. A first leg triumph at Stamford Bridge was an achievement in itself; very few gave them hope of preserving their aggregate lead at the Camp Nou.

It appeared bleak when goals from Sergio Busquets and Andres Iniesta put Barcelona ahead either side of Terry's red card dismissal, but Ramires' divine chip and Fernando Torres' astonishing breakaway goal ensured Chelsea advanced to the final.

A date with Bayern Munich in the Bavarian capital awaited them and though they were under the cosh for the majority of the contest, Chelsea were able to force extra time after Didier Drogba cancelled out Thomas Muller's opener. Penalties beckoned and Petr Cech's spot-kick heroics enabled Drogba to convert the winning penalty.

Mission accomplished: Chelsea were European champions for the first time.

Another nine years would follow before their next UEFA Champions League final appearance and Kai Havertz ensured it was worth the wait.

In similar circumstances to their first triumph in the competition, Thomas Tuchel inherited an underperforming Chelsea side with the objective of securing a top-four finish. The nottion that he could orchestrate a successful quest in the UEFA Champions League seemed ludicrous, and yet Tuchel did exactly that.

He tactically outwitted his managerial foe Pep Guardiola as Havertz netted the decisive goal to conquer Manchester City in the 2020/21 showpiece.