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Preview: Chelsea face unbeaten Hull City in Stamford Bridge clash
12th September, 2026 07:18 AM
Chelsea return to Premier League action at Stamford Bridge on Saturday afternoon, September 12, 2026, when they take on an impressive Hull City side that has made an unbeaten start to life back in the top flight.
The Blues go into the meeting sitting fourth in the league, while Hull have emerged as one of the early surprises of the campaign. The Tigers are currently third and, remarkably, have yet to concede in their opening three league matches.
Only Charlton Athletic in 1998 and Huddersfield Town in 2017 had previously kept clean sheets in each of their first three Premier League games after promotion.
Chelsea manager Xabi Alonso will be hoping his team can maintain their strong start while ending an unusual run against newly promoted sides at Stamford Bridge. The Blues have gone four home league games without beating a promoted opponent since successive victories over Southampton and Leicester City in 2025.
Hull’s unbeaten run ended in midweek when they suffered a 1-0 defeat to Sunderland in the Carabao Cup. However, manager Sergej Jakirovic made eight changes to his starting XI compared with the team that featured the previous weekend.
Chelsea, meanwhile, arrive with plenty of confidence after producing a remarkable comeback against Leeds United in the same competition. Having fallen two goals behind, the London side responded with six goals to secure a 6-3 victory, with substitute Morgan Rogers playing a major role by providing three assists.
The weekend fixture also carries historical significance. It comes 121 years and one day after Hull became Chelsea’s first competitive visitors at Stamford Bridge on September 11, 1905.
The original meeting was a Division Two encounter, with Chelsea running out 5-1 winners. Jimmy Windridge scored three times, while David Copeland added two goals.
One of the most memorable clashes between the clubs came in May 1977, when Chelsea defeated Hull 4-0 on the final day of the Division Two season to secure promotion.
The match was twice interrupted after supporters invaded the pitch. Ian Britton scored once, while Steve Finnieston completed a hat-trick. Chelsea manager Eddie McCreadie was eventually forced to appeal to supporters over the stadium’s public address system and ask them to remain in the stands.
Hull have never defeated Chelsea in London. Their most recent victory over the Blues came at home, but Chelsea have dominated the fixture since then, winning 15 of the subsequent 17 meetings in all competitions and drawing the other two.
Chelsea have also won each of the last nine encounters between the sides.
The clubs have faced one another 49 times in all competitions, although only 10 of those meetings have come in the top division. Hull have managed just three league goals across their 18 visits to Stamford Bridge.
Chelsea are also three goals away from reaching 100 against Hull in all competitions.
Hull have played Chelsea 10 times in the Premier League without recording a victory. Only Portsmouth, with 14 such matches, have faced the Blues more often in the competition without winning.
The three most recent meetings were all FA Cup victories for Chelsea, coming in 2018, 2020 and February this year. Across those games, Chelsea scored 10 times while conceding only once.
There are also several interesting statistics surrounding Chelsea’s start to the current campaign.
The Blues became the first team in Premier League history to score inside the opening five minutes in each of their first three matches of a season.
Joao Pedro has also attracted plenty of attention following his impressive performances. The August Premier League Player of the Month was fouled six times by Arsenal, the highest number suffered by an individual player in a Premier League match this season.
Chelsea’s midweek victory over Leeds produced another notable landmark. The six second-half goals were their first such haul since an 8-0 victory against Wigan Athletic in May 2010, a result that secured the Premier League title.
Among those involved that night was Reggie Watson, who made his Chelsea debut against Leeds at just 16 years of age. Watson was only 14 weeks old when Chelsea defeated Wigan in 2010, while his father Ben started for the Latics.
Chelsea’s record League Cup victory also included six second-half goals, coming in a 7-0 demolition of Doncaster Rovers in 1960.
With Hull arriving at Stamford Bridge in excellent defensive form, Chelsea face a difficult test despite their impressive record in this fixture.
