Chelsea 2011/2012 Away Shirt

CHELSEA - AWAY SHIRT 2011/2012

Chelsea were founded in 1905 in the West London district of Fulham, formed in a room of The Rising Sun pub across the road from their home, Stamford Bridge. Known to supporters as The Blues, and to older generations as The Pensioners, they remain one of the capital's heavyweight clubs. A neat quirk: the stadium existed before the team, having been offered to neighbours Fulham first, who turned it down.

The 2011/2012 campaign was one of upheaval and ultimately glory. Chelsea finished sixth in the Premier League on 64 points, a modest league return under André Villas-Boas, who was dismissed in March and replaced by caretaker Roberto Di Matteo. This striking away shirt, black with a turquoise checked pattern, was worn through a European run nobody saw coming.

In the Champions League, Chelsea produced a stunning comeback against Napoli, winning 4-1 at home after losing the first leg 3-1, then eliminated Barcelona in the semi-final despite John Terry's red card and playing much of the tie with ten men. The final in Munich went to penalties against Bayern on their own ground, and Chelsea won it. Days earlier they had beaten Liverpool 2-1 at Wembley to lift the FA Cup.

Didier Drogba was the hero, equalising late in the final and scoring the winning penalty, his last act before leaving the club. Frank Lampard top-scored with 16 goals across all competitions, sharing the league lead on 11 with Daniel Sturridge. Fernando Torres, a British record 50 million pound signing the previous January, and goalkeeper Petr Čech both played their part. This was Chelsea's first ever European Cup.

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