6 champions who bombed the following year

Chelsea – 1998

The big collapse that comes to mind with Chelsea is the 2015/16 title defence that saw Jose Mourinho fired for a second time and Chelsea pick up just 15 points from their first 10 games.

But there is another which, it could be argued, is the shortest defence of a title in recent memory.

After winning the FA Cup in 1997, nobody expected the holders to go out at the third round stage. With 64 teams in the third round draw, it was supreme bad luck to be drawn against the reigning league champions, Manchester United.

The 5-3 final score makes it look like a classic, but in truth, being 3-0 down at half-time meant Chelsea’s title defence was as good as over after just 45 minutes.

While Chelsea did stage a late comeback, they were 5-0 down and United had their minds on the next round.