Chelsea break unwanted Premier League record despite recent progress

Chelsea have broken the record for the most yellow cards received in a Premier League season after racking up their 102nd against Brighton & Hove Albion on Wednesday.

The Blues have seen improvements in their performances as of late, recording a four successive league wins for the first time since October 2022. However, some negatives are too established to shake off, as the Blues find themselves setting an unwanted benchmark.

It was Raheem Sterling who was shown the 102nd yellow card, coming during the team's victory over the Seagulls. His foul on Valentin Barco came just before Reece James was shown a straight red and removed from the pitch for kicking Joao Pedro.

In fact, despite playing just 419 minutes this season, James is at the top of the list of Premier League players who have received the most red cards in 2023/24. He's been shown two during the current campaign, matching the same number as Oliver McBurnie and Yves Bissouma.

The Blues record surpasses the one previously set by Leeds United during the 2021/22 campaign, when the now Championship side received 101 yellows.

Pochettino's side have played just two fixtures without being shown a card this season - the first against Manchester United and the next Tottenham Hotspur. They picked up six yellows against Wolverhampton Wanderers in December, the most they have been shown in a single match.

In seven different matches, they have been shown at least five yellows, with Moises Caicedo booked the most of anyone at Chelsea. The midfielder has received 11 yellow cards during the campaign, a number that is still less than six other players in the league.

With just one game of the campaign remaining, Chelsea's record is closely followed by Wolves, who have received 99 yellows so far.

The Blues will play their final game of the season on Sunday, when they host Andoni Iraola's Bournemouth.

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