According to a report by The Athletic on Monday, November 2, 2026, After nine games in the league, Chelsea would have only accumulated five points if their performance this season had been identical to that of last.

The Blues are now in fourth place in the Premier League and in serious contention to qualify for the Champions League thanks to Alonso's 16 points from nine matches.

On Saturday, Chelsea beat Manchester United 2-0 at Stamford Bridge, getting back on track with their winning streak.

After a rough week that included a loss to Tottenham and a loss in the Carabao Cup to Liverpool, Morgan Rogers and Cole Palmer scored to secure three crucial points.

Alonso has helped Chelsea turn around a number of tough matches, and this comparison shows how much better they are under his tutelage.

Last season, Chelsea lost 2-1 to Fulham; this season, they won 3-2. Also, last year, they won an entertaining 4-3 home game against Brighton after losing 1-3.

Both the Bournemouth and Everton matches saw further enhancements. While Chelsea bounced back from a 3-0 loss at Everton with a 2-0 triumph, Bournemouth and Chelsea played to a 2-2 draw last season before winning 5-1 this season.

Nevertheless, the losses to Arsenal and Tottenham still sting, and Chelsea lost ground to Hull City despite a 2-2 draw at Stamford Bridge.

Since Chelsea played Sunderland last season instead of Hull in the same match, we need to make some adjustments when comparing the two teams. The match that was compared was Sunderland's 2-1 win over Chelsea.

If everything had gone according to plan from last year, Sunderland and Chelsea would both be in last place in the league with five points.

In contrast, Alonso's squad has scored 19 goals in the first nine games, good for 16 points.

Chelsea now have a solid foundation upon which to build their pursuit of Champions League qualification, as they have already secured fourth place.

It will be critical for them to keep up this consistency in the coming months, but their progress under Alonso is a marked improvement over last season's comparable results.