Chelsea have made unwanted club history after Saturday’s 2-2 draw with Hull City extended their Premier League clean-sheet drought to 20 matches.
Xabi Alonso’s side conceded twice in the first half at Stamford Bridge, with Mohamed Belloumi scoring both goals for Hull after Morgan Rogers had given Chelsea an early lead.
Joao Pedro rescued a point after the break, but Chelsea were unable to find a winner.
More significantly, the Blues have now gone 20 consecutive league games without a clean sheet.
It is the first time Chelsea have endured such a run in 65 years.
What on earth were Chelsea’s defenders doing here?! 😭 After the ball hits the bar, just look at the Chelsea defence… completely switched off, and Belloumi drills it into the net! 🤦♂️⚽️ pic.twitter.com/U8ySCF0Ka6
— The Final Whistle (@Rufus_45) September 12, 2026
Chelsea clean-sheet run reaches 20 games
Chelsea entered the Hull game already carrying one of the worst defensive sequences in the club’s recent history.
That run has now reached another landmark.
Belloumi’s first-half double ensured Chelsea would fail to keep a league clean sheet for the 20th successive match.
The visitors punished two defensive mistakes to overturn Rogers’ opener before half-time, while Joao Pedro’s equaliser was only enough to secure a point.
ReadChelsea had already highlighted Xabi Alonso’s concerns about Chelsea’s defensive problems following the defeat at Arsenal.
Those concerns have now become even more pronounced.
Chelsea have conceded nine goals across their opening four Premier League matches this season.
They have conceded:
two against Fulham
three against Brighton
two against Arsenal
two against Hull
That leaves Alonso’s side averaging more than two goals conceded per league game.
Chelsea attack again forced to rescue defence
The frustration for Chelsea is that their attack continues to produce.
Rogers scored after only seven minutes against Hull, while Joao Pedro later equalised from Cole Palmer’s delivery.
Rogers has now scored or assisted in each of Chelsea’s first four league matches, joining an elite group of former Blues players including Didier Drogba, Cesc Fabregas, Diego Costa and Eden Hazard.
Joao Pedro has also continued his excellent start.
Yet Chelsea’s attacking quality is repeatedly being undermined by mistakes at the other end.
Saturday’s draw was another example.
Hull arrived at Stamford Bridge having not conceded a Premier League goal this season.
Chelsea became the first side to score against them, and did so twice.
But Alonso’s team still could not win.
Alonso has a major problem to solve
Former Premier League manager Steve Bruce criticised Chelsea’s defending while analysing the Hull game, describing it as “atrocious”.
That assessment reflects the scale of the challenge facing Alonso.
Chelsea have enough attacking talent to create and score consistently.
What they do not currently have is defensive control.
Different centre-back combinations and different goalkeepers have failed to stop the sequence.
Twenty league matches without a clean sheet now stretches the problem well beyond a short run of poor form.
And unless Chelsea solve it quickly, Palmer, Rogers and Joao Pedro will continue being asked to compensate for problems at the other end of the pitch.
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