The west London outfit are in freefall at the moment, and it remains to be seen whether a club legend can inspire a rapid turnaround in fortunes
Frank Lampard's Stamford Bridge homecoming on Saturday ended up being a nightmare, as Brighton picked up a 2-1 victory over Chelsea that they were great value for after a dominant display.
During and after the Blues' 12th Premier League defeat of the season, fans were seen aiming their frustrations at much-maligned co-owner Todd Boehly, who appointed Lampard as interim manager after sacking Graham Potter at the start of the month.
The American remonstrated back at the supporters in question from the directors' box – which never saw anywhere near the same level of chaos during Roman Abramovich's trophy-laden 19-year-reign – in scenes that epitomised the sorry state of affairs at the club both on and off the pitch.
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The final result leaves Chelsea sitting down in 11th in the table, 17 points behind fourth-placed Newcastle having played a game more and a whopping 35 adrift of league leaders Arsenal.
Despite spending over £300 million on new players in January, the Blues are still on course for their worst-ever season in the top-flight, with star names such as Joao Felix, Enzo Fernandez and Mykhailo Mudryk all struggling to adapt to life in English football.
If Lampard cannot address their slide quickly, Chelsea could be in serious trouble, with a few unwanted records now in real danger of being broken…
Getty ImagesLowest points tally
It seems like an eternity ago now, but Potter's Chelsea tenure actually got off to a promising start, as he oversaw a nine-game unbeaten run after replacing Thomas Tuchel at the helm in September.
That streak included an impressive 2-0 win at Aston Villa on October 16, with a Mason Mount brace taking the Blues up to fourth in the Premier League standings.
Of course, that turned out to be a false dawn. Chelsea have only won four more games since then, the worst record of any side in the division.
Lampard's team have just 39 points to their name with seven matches left to play. Their minimum target must now be to get past the 50-point mark, or else they will enter the history books for all the wrong reasons.
Chelsea have never finished with less than a half-century haul, but have hit that bang average total twice before – in 2015-16 after a Jose Mourinho implosion led to Guus Hiddink's return, and way back in 1995-96.
AdvertisementGetty ImagesLeast amount of goals
Chelsea have been shaky at the back this season, but their main problem has been a lack of cutting-edge up front.
Conor Gallagher's deflected strike to open the scoring against Brighton was the Blues' first goal in five games across all competitions, and it only came after a huge slice of good fortune.
The hosts finished the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of just 0.75 from eight shots at goal, while the Seagulls managed 2.73 from 23 efforts.
To paint an even clearer picture, Kai Havertz is currently Chelsea's top Premier League scorer for 2022-23 with seven goals – three more than his nearest team-mate, Raheem Sterling (4).
Overall, Chelsea have managed just 30 goals in 31 games, two fewer than Erling Haaland has managed on his own for reigning champions Manchester City, and they are still well behind the previous worst final haul in the club's history.
The Blues racked up 46 goals in 1995-96, and it seems unlikely that their latest crop of flops will avoid setting a new record, particularly without a natural No.9 in their ranks.
GettyLowest finish
The 1995-96 season was certainly a low point for Chelsea, but their worst Premier League showing of all time came two years earlier.
Optimism was initially high after the appointment of Glen Hoddle as player-manager ahead of 1993-94, but the Blues finished down in 14th and extended their long trophy drought to 24 years.
The league was still comprised of 22 teams at this stage, and Chelsea finished with just 51 points from 42 games – which equates to their lowest-ever points per game (PPG) total at 1.214.
At the moment, it is very possible that Lampard's squad will plunge to greater depths. They are only six points ahead of 14th-placed Bournemouth, who have won three of their last four games. London rivals West Ham are just two points further back and have a game in hand on Chelsea.
Lampard is still looking for the first win of his second spell in charge, but it's difficult to see where it's going to come from, and they need to reach at least the 47-point mark to avoid falling to a new PPG low.
GettyRELEGATION
So that brings us to the big question – is it possible that Chelsea will be relegated from the Premier League for the first time ever? The answer is yes, mathematically anyway.
Nottingham Forest are currently 12 points behind the Blues in 18th, two ahead of Leicester City and four ahead of rock-bottom Southampton – who now appear to be doomed.
The Blues are statistically the fourth-worst team in the league over the last 20 games, having only picked up 18 points, with only Everton (17), Leicester (17) and Southampton (12) posting lower totals.
That's relegation form from Lampard's men, but realistically, they should end up avoiding an unthinkable drop into the Championship.
Even if Chelsea lose all of their remaining games, it would be a huge surprise if they finished in 18th or lower, given the fact that the last side to be relegated after reaching 39 points was Birmingham City back in 2010-11.
You'd have to go almost a decade further back to find the next team to go down with a higher points total – with West Ham the victims of rotten luck under Glenn Roeder in 2002-03.