Highlights

  • Chelsea wore Coventry's kit due to a clash with their own home strip, resulting in a bizarre sight on the pitch.
  • Ruud Gullit initially tried to make Coventry change their kit, but Chelsea ultimately had to wear the red and black away strip.
  • Coventry's victory in the match proved crucial in helping them avoid relegation at the end of the season, while Chelsea finished fifth.

Coventry City vs Chelsea in April 1997 may look like a fairly insignificant fixture on paper, but dig a little deeper and you'll realise that it's actually one of the most bizarre matches of the Premier League era. Why? Well, because Chelsea took on Coventry at Highfield Road but didn’t wear either their home or away kit.

The Blues didn’t wear a third kit, either - you didn’t really have third kits back in the 1990s, after all. Instead, Chelsea's players - including the likes of Gianfranco Zola, Roberto Di Matteo, Mark Hughes and Frank Leboeuf - ended up wearing Coventry’s second strip: a red and black checked shirt with Peugeot as the sponsor.

Chelsea vs Coventry 1997

Chelsea took the lead shortly before half-time through Paul Hughes but found themselves 3-1 down in the 58th minute following goals from Dion Dublin, Paul Williams and Noel Whelan. No further goals were scored and Coventry sealed all three points.

Video: Coventry v Chelsea highlights

Chelsea went ahead but were beaten by two goals

Why Chelsea played in Coventry's kit

A standoff ensued after Chelsea forgot to bring their away strip

So, why were Chelsea forced to play in Coventry’s awful away strip? The reason is pretty bizarre. Coventry, nicknamed ‘the Sky Blues’, obviously played their home matches that season in a light blue kit - as they always have done.

Chelsea, whose home strip was also light blue, turned up at Highfield Road without their away kit. They did, however, have their home strip.

The referee felt the two home kits clashed and kick-off was subsequently delayed for 15 minutes while the issue was resolved. There was only one solution: Chelsea would need to wear Coventry’s red and black away strip or forfeit the match.

Coventry vs Chelsea 1997

Ruud Gullit tried to make Coventry change kit

Richard Shaw recalled what happened that day

The west London outfit, who were managed by Ruud Gullit at the time, eventually accepted the compromise - but only after an audacious request was made by the legendary Dutchman for the home team to change their kit. Richard Shaw, who was part of Coventry's starting line-up, told the 'Quickly Kevin; will he score?' podcast: "They brought the wrong kit and Ruud [Gullit] came through the door and said: 'We're not changing!', even though we were at home, the home team! I think Ruud thought that his name was enough, so we would change."

Ruud Gullit

Shaw added: "It was a bit of a standoff. In the end, they got given what was probably our worst away kit ever. It was red and black chequered and they wore their blue shorts, it just didn't go. I think we won the game 3-1 and some of the Chelsea lads took their shirts off at the end and threw them on the floor before they came down the tunnel.

They brought the wrong kit and we got blamed for it!

Ah, Premier League football in the nineties - different times! It's safe to say the chances of a similar incident happening now are virtually non-existent. Just imagine Pep Guardiola's Manchester City turning up at Bournemouth, for example, without their away kit and being forced to play in the visitors' away strip. It simply wouldn't happen.

If the ref hadn't said anything back in 1997, the match between Coventry and Chelsea might have looked something like this (only with all blue shirts, of course...).

Where Chelsea and Coventry finished the season

Chelsea sealed fifth, Coventry narrowly stayed up

This proved to be a hugely important victory for Coventry, who managed to survive relegation at the end of the 1996-97 campaign by the skin of their teeth. In fact, Gordon Strachan's side would have been relegated to English football's second tier without that win.

Bottom of the 1996-97 Premier League table

Pos.

Team

W

D

L

GD

Pts.

17.

Coventry City

9

14

15

-16

41

18.

Sunderland (R)

10

10

18

-18

40

19.

Middlesbrough (R)

10

12

16

-9

39

20.

Nottingham Forest (R)

6

16

16

-28

34

As for Chelsea, they finished the season in fifth place, securing a place in the Cup Winners' Cup as a result. It would be another few years before Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich transformed the Blues into one European football's powerhouses.