Petr Cech says Chelsea’s defensive Premier League record still looks out of reach after Arsenal’s recent setback. Arsenal had been close to the historic mark, yet the 3-2 loss to Manchester United moved their goals conceded tally to 17, meaning the London club can no longer match Chelsea’s figure from the 2004-05 season.
Arsenal’s campaign began with strong defensive numbers that fuelled talk of a new Premier League benchmark. Mikel Arteta’s side let in only five goals across the opening 11 league fixtures. Since then, however, Arsenal have produced just five clean sheets in the next 13 matches, which allowed Chelsea’s old record to stay intact.
Under Jose Mourinho in 2004-05, Chelsea set the Premier League record by conceding only 15 goals across
38 games. Cech was first-choice goalkeeper that season and finished with 24 clean sheets, which remains another competition record. Across that league campaign, opponents registered 83 shots on target against Cech, yet Chelsea’s defensive structure limited actual goals.
Cech believes Arsenal’s experience this season underlines how hard that record is to touch. Arsenal have faced 16.4 expected goals against so far, slightly outperforming that underlying metric. Opponents have taken 185 shots, with 50 hitting the target, showing Arsenal’s back line has still performed well statistically despite falling short of Chelsea’s standard.
Cech explained to ESPN Brasil that Arsenal’s run reinforced how demanding the record is to approach. He said: "Well, I think this season actually showed how impossible it [the record] looks because, you know, after 10 games, I got a lot of questions about it," he told ESPN Brasil. "And I said, 'well, I think it's going to be hard for them to do it', but they were doing so well that actually they gave themselves a chance. So, 10 games in, you think, 'Oh, they have a big chance'. Then, 15 games in, you just go 'hmm, I don't think they can do this'. And now we are [here] after 21 games or whatever it is, and the record's gone. So, it just shows you how difficult it is to not concede in the Premier League. You have to play well, you have to be organised, you need a bit of luck, and everything comes together, and you play difficult opponents as always. So, it's not an easy task, and I think this season was the first time we were kind of looking at it and thinking: 'They might be close', and they are not. So, it just shows you how incredible the record is. "
Cech’s own Premier League career gives weight to that view. The goalkeeper captured four league titles with Chelsea between 2004 and 2015, then moved across London to Arsenal. At Emirates Stadium, Cech added a fourth Golden Glove in the first season, underlining long-term consistency rather than a single standout year.
Premier League record comparisons and defensive standards
Recent dominant sides have still not matched Chelsea’s 2004-05 defensive Premier League record. Over the last decade, the closest efforts came in 2018-19. Liverpool ended that season with 22 goals conceded, while Manchester City finished on 23, both still some distance from Chelsea’s figure of 15 under Mourinho.
Cech discussed why that Chelsea group proved so hard to break down and how the Premier League record was built. Cech said: "I think it came from the system and from the personalities as well. Because we suddenly realised that winning 1-0 gives you a chance to win the title, and we were kind of proud to be the team that was hard to beat. So, you could feel every single player on the pitch trying to do their best to give a bit of work defensively to help the defenders, and obviously me, as a goalkeeper, not to be constantly under pressure. And we had some fantastic players as well in the defensive line with [Claude] Makelele sitting in front. And of course, it's a huge help. But it's not only about the five defenders and the goalkeeper, it is about the team, how well you help each other. And I think it came from Jose, who made us understand that being the team that is hard to beat and defends well gives you the best chance to win the league, and this is what we did. "
Cech’s comments place Chelsea’s defensive Premier League record in sharp focus, especially after Arsenal’s strong early push faded. The statistics from this season, plus recent campaigns from Liverpool and Manchester City, suggest that matching 15 goals conceded across 38 games remains a huge challenge for any modern title contender.
