The Europa League is the re-branded name of the competition that was formerly known as the UEFA Cup. Unlike the European Cup, which Chelsea didn’t play in until it had been re-named as the Champions League, Chelsea did actually play in the competition when it was still known by its original name. Interestingly, though, that didn’t happen until the Premier League era, playing in it for three seasons in a row before getting back into the Champions League. The thing about the Europa League that is most intriguing is that it is treated with a lot less respect in the UK.
Across the rest of the continent of Europe, the competition is seen as being a worthy one, in spite of the fact that it lacks the financial riches of the Champions League. Whilst English clubs tend to view it as something of an inconvenience that gets in the way of their Premier League campaigns, the same is not true for the likes of Spanish, German and Italian sides. The second-tier European competition is one that Chelsea won for the first time at the conclusion to the 2012-2013 season, a year after their first win in the Champions League.
| Season | Chelsea Result | Winner | Runner Up |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2018-2019 | Winners | Chelsea | Arsenal |
| 2012-2013 | Winners | Chelsea | Benfica |
| 2002-2003 | First Round | FC Porto | Celtic |
| 2001-2002 | Second Round | Feynoord | Borussia Dortmund |
| 2000-2001 | First Round | Liverpool | Alavés |
Chelsea Europa League Wins
2018-2019: Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal
Chelsea staged pretty strong, if ultimately unsuccessful campaigns in the other competitions in 2018/19, but it was their second Europa League success that defined the season under Maurizio Sarri. Winning five of their six group matches, Chelsea immediately became one of the favourites and solidified that position with a comfortable 5-1 aggregate win against Malmo in the round of 32.
An even easier 8-0 two-leg win against Dynamo Kiev followed before an entertaining 5-3 quarter-final aggregate success against Slavia Prague. A very nervy semi-final led to both matches being drawn 1-1, Chelsea winning on penalties against Eintracht Frankfurt, before a final date with Arsenal at the controversial Olympic Stadium in Baku.
The surroundings weren’t great for a final by any means, but the Blues didn’t care much as they produced an excellent performance to hammer Arsenal 4-1 and take the trophy in a year when all four major European club finalists came from the Premier League.
2012-2013: Benfica 1-2 Chelsea
Having won the Champions League in 2012, Chelsea were left gutted by their performance the following season as they crashed out in the group stages. In all fairness, they did so with three wins and 10 points which is why it probably wasn’t such a surprise to see them go so far when dropping into the Europa League under the tutelage of Rafael Benitez.
Only one goal separated Chelsea on aggregate from Sparta Prague, Steau Bucharest and Rubin Kazan as they made the semi-finals where they took care of Basel in good style, winning through 5-2 over two legs.
The final was played in Amsterdam against Benfica and it was to have a tremendous ending. With the game locked at 1-1, Chelsea got a corner with 3 minutes of injury time gone after which Branislav Ivanovic headed in to secure a 2-1 win and the club’s second major European success in twelve months.
Worst Season
As the UEFA Cup this is not a competition that had been particularly kind to Chelsea. First round knock-outs in both 2001 and 2003 were probably the club’s lowlights in this cup, certainly in the Premier League era.