They were looking up in the Premier League table at Liverpool, only four points off the summit, albeit with a game in hand. Enzo Maresca’s side had created a seven-point buffer to sixth spot, which was already their reference point with fifth place being nearly assured of Champions League qualification.
Arsenal were two points behind Chelsea with Nottingham Forest level in fourth. Bournemouth were fifth, Aston Villa sixth, and Manchester City seventh, eight back. Newcastle United were eighth, nine adrift.
Five weeks later and the margin for error which had been earned was totally wiped out. By the first week of February Chelsea were sixth and now seven off Arsenal and Forest. Any premature title talk was being laughed at and panic had started to set in.
City were fourth, level with Newcastle but only a point ahead of Chelsea. Bournemouth are now seventh but on the same points tally as Chelsea. Villa are three worse off.
When Chelsea kicked off on April 2 against Tottenham they were basically in the same position. Three points separated fourth and seventh. Everyone down to Bournemouth (10th) were just about competing for a place in the top five. The places rotated and those in and out of form shifted, but everyone was there or thereabout.
The problem was that Chelsea’s results in 2025 had been the 14th worst in the division. Manchester United had been better across the same period, which was no longer a small sample size. Injuries had cropped up. Fear was growing that Chelsea’s season was about to fade to obscurity.
The good news was that they were still within touching distance of their rivals. The bad news was the run of matches to come and just how downhill things had been trending for four months. The failure to capitalise on beating Spurs left Chelsea on the brink of mutiny once more.
Maresca had been booed, jeered, and called a w****r by a large and vocal group of travelling supporters. The players were not trusted and confidence was at a serious low.
Following draws to Brentford and Ipswich Town, Chelsea were still only three points off third but sat sixth and knew that they could end the upcoming trip to Fulham closer to midtable than the top five. That is how tight it was with six games to go. Making matters worse was the growing online discontent at Maresca’s use of press conferences and the performances and style as much as simply results.
Losing the Conference League quarter-final second leg to Legia Warsaw with a strong team despite progressing was a new low. Chelsea had to face up to the final six games knowing that four were against teams who were above them in the calendar year league table, one was at Fulham (level on points in those standings), and another at home to Manchester United in a fixture which has not been kind in recent years.
Newcastle and City, specifically, had been much more consistent and dangerous for a while. Villa were mounting a late push up the table despite Champions League heartbreak.
What has happened in the period since was not on the cards when Chelsea were a goal down and facing yet more dropped points at Craven Cottage with eight minutes to go. Now they are on the rise and carry the momentum.
Chelsea have won three league games in a row and are unbeaten in six. Include the Conference League and they have won five straight with only two defeats in 15. The back-to-back draws of mid-April look like an anomaly in a run which has put Maresca’s side in control of their own destiny.
There is belief and optimism flowing through the team. They have beaten newly crowned champions Liverpool in the best performance of the season and Chelsea’s most eye-catching over a big six team in more than three years. The table is still condensed and likely to change by the minute over a weekend of action, but Chelsea have the momentum.
All of a sudden, Chelsea have the third best form in the last four matches and the fourth best in the past six. City are top on both counts and are chasing down Arsenal but Chelsea certainly have a mental edge now over Forest, and maybe even others.
Nuno Espirito Santo’s men have lost three of their last five in the league (winning one) and exited the FA Cup in the semi-finals without much of a fight. Newcastle have been right up there for much of 2025 but stuttered at Brighton and have let Chelsea come storming back. They were also heavily beaten at a wounded Villa just a fortnight ago.
The landscape has changed and whilst the overall picture stays almost the same in terms of league positions and points difference, the vibes are different. Chelsea have wiped out Newcastle’s wave-riding advantage and are now the ones with their shoulders back and head high.
Villa are a real danger due to their fixtures and form but have an inferior goal difference, as do Forest, which really could come into play. The reality is that this can also all change again.
Chelsea travel to St James’ Park on Sunday with bad memories. They will be up against it in a cauldron of expectation and noise on Tyneside. There is a reasonable argument to make this is harder than playing Liverpool at home, especially given their title celebrations.
What is now in Chelsea’s favour is that they have shown they are able to compete with those around them. The intangible benefit of getting over the line against an elite side, even one on a hangover, is massive.
Newcastle have been there and done it in big games themselves under Eddie Howe. The events of the past few weeks, and most important of all the Liverpool result, will mean that Chelsea have no reason to be fearful of heading to the northeast, though.
That is one of Newcastle’s most effective weapons and it will undoubtedly play a part in the game. Chelsea have put themselves in a strong position to overcome that and it might just seal a successful end to the season.
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