Season synopsis
Premier League final position: Fourth
FA Cup: Fourth round, lost 2-1 Brighton (A)
League Cup: Fourth round, lost 2-0 Newcastle (A)
Uefa Conference League: Winners, beat Real Betis 4-1 in final
It is still difficult not to view Chelsea through the lens of the gratuitous and at times reckless billion-plus spend under the current ownership group.
On the pitch they might be a young and improving side with a manager adept at working with such a squad, but given the outlay and the astonishing wastefulness – Joao Felix on a seven-year £130k-a-week contract for example – the praise can be a little thin on the ground. After all, that's a lot of investment to celebrate sneaking fourth place in the Premier League on the final day of the season and lifting the Uefa Conference League.
However, it's also hard to argue that they aren't a better side than 12 months ago, and returning to the Champions League is a big step in the right direction.
Best performance of the season
Chelsea 3-1 Liverpool: Chelsea gave the newly crowned champions a guard of honour – followed by a pasting at Stamford Bridge.
Enzo Fernandez struck after just three minutes before Jarrell Quansah’s second-half own goal doubled Chelsea's lead.
Virgil van Dijk’s late header pulled a goal back but Cole Palmer had the final say, ending an 18-game goal drought from the spot.
Worst performance of the season
Ipswich 2-0 Chelsea: Back in December, Chelsea fell apart in a grim display at Portman Road. Ipswich striker Liam Delap bullied the visiting defence, scoring a 12th-minute penalty and then setting up former Chelsea winger Omari Hutchinson for a second eight minutes after the break.
Thriller of the season
Chelsea 4-2 Brighton: Cole Palmer became the first player to score four first-half goals in a Premier League match last September when Chelsea swept aside Brighton to go fourth.
In an entertaining match, Palmer, 22, also hit the post and had another one ruled out before the break as Chelsea took advantage of Brighton’s high defensive line.
The Seagulls scored twice early, with both of their goals stemming from errors by Chelsea's former Brighton goalkeeper Robert Sanchez.
However, after Georginio Rutter headed the visitors ahead, Palmer single-handedly destroyed the Brighton defence.
Player of the season
Moises Caicedo: It turns out Chelsea did sign a world-class defensive midfielder from Brighton after all. Following a tough first season in blue, the Ecuadorean has looked much more like a British transfer record signing. At 23, there's still plenty of room to improve. Will play Champions League football for the first time in his career next season and that will only help his development.
Goal of the season
Pedro Neto v Fulham: Last-minute rocket against local rivals ended a long wait for an away win and kick-started Chelsea's strong run-in.
Manager
Enzo Maresca – 7.5
Chelsea showed signs of progress in 2024/25 and Maresca deserves credit for helping shape that with a defined style of play and an identity. It's a young side, and despite their lavish spending, they could still do with an elite centre-back and an upgrade in the central striking position. It looks like Maresca will be around to implement phase two of his project. Also, never hurts to put silverware in the cabinet.
Goalkeepers
Robert Sanchez – 6
Shaky, lost place, earned it back, strong end to season.
Filip Jorgensen – 5
Looked bright early, fumbled his chance, became Conference League keeper.
Defenders
Marc Cucurella – 8.5
Player transformed, massive in defence and transition and important goals. Arguably player of the season. Gone from villain to hero.
Levi Colwill – 7.5
Big step forward, growing into a leader. Scored a crucial goal at Nottingham Forest.
Malo Gusto – 6
Opportunities more limited this season but did his part.
Trevoh Chalobah – 7.5
Massive call to bring the defender back from loan at Crystal Palace. Slotted straight in.
Wesley Fofana – 6
Injuries again. Worrying trend continues, but what a player when fit.
Reece James – 6.5
Encouraging signs of fitness progress. Chelsea much better for his availability.
Tosin Adarabioyo – 6.5
Understated presence and rock solid in the season run-in.
Midfielders
Enzo Fernandez – 8
Goals, assists and energy – finally getting closer to the World Cup star Chelsea signed.
Romeo Lavia – 7
Could be team's best midfielder, but couldn't stay fit again.
Mykhailo Mudryk – 2
Minimal contribution then banned for alleged doping. The future looks bleak.
Cole Palmer – 8
Barren spell shouldn't blight another strong season of 15 Premier League goals. Also stepped up when his side needed him in the Conference League final. Elite talent.
Kiernan Dewsbury-Hall – 6
Did his part when called upon but used sparingly.
Moises Caicedo – 8.5
Arguably best defensive midfielder in the league. Outstanding all season.
Forwards
Noni Madueke – 7
Lively and threatening but went missing at times. Needs to score more from chances he makes for himself.
Nicolas Jackson – 6
Superb start to the season, then hit by a goal drought then injury. Lucky his red card against Newcastle wasn't more costly.
Pedro Neto – 6
Lively in parts and scored a few big goals but is much better than he showed overall.
Jadon Sancho – 5
Similar to Neto, but a level below.
Christopher Nkunku – 3
Doesn't fit into Maresca's system. Unlikely to stay.
Tyrique George – 7
The Academy success story of the season. Bright future, could do with a loan spell away and regular game time next season.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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China
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Canada
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The biog
Name: James Mullan
Nationality: Irish
Family: Wife, Pom; and daughters Kate, 18, and Ciara, 13, who attend Jumeirah English Speaking School (JESS)
Favourite book or author: “That’s a really difficult question. I’m a big fan of Donna Tartt, The Secret History. I’d recommend that, go and have a read of that.”
Dream: “It would be to continue to have fun and to work with really interesting people, which I have been very fortunate to do for a lot of my life. I just enjoy working with very smart, fun people.”
Frankenstein in Baghdad
Ahmed Saadawi
Penguin Press
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Sinopharm vaccine explained
The Sinopharm vaccine was created using techniques that have been around for decades.
“This is an inactivated vaccine. Simply what it means is that the virus is taken, cultured and inactivated," said Dr Nawal Al Kaabi, chair of the UAE's National Covid-19 Clinical Management Committee.
"What is left is a skeleton of the virus so it looks like a virus, but it is not live."
This is then injected into the body.
"The body will recognise it and form antibodies but because it is inactive, we will need more than one dose. The body will not develop immunity with one dose," she said.
"You have to be exposed more than one time to what we call the antigen."
The vaccine should offer protection for at least months, but no one knows how long beyond that.
Dr Al Kaabi said early vaccine volunteers in China were given shots last spring and still have antibodies today.
“Since it is inactivated, it will not last forever," she said.
'Nightmare Alley'
Director:Guillermo del Toro
Stars:Bradley Cooper, Cate Blanchett, Rooney Mara
Rating: 3/5
F1 The Movie
Starring: Brad Pitt, Damson Idris, Kerry Condon, Javier Bardem
Director: Joseph Kosinski
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
How green is the expo nursery?
Some 400,000 shrubs and 13,000 trees in the on-site nursery
An additional 450,000 shrubs and 4,000 trees to be delivered in the months leading up to the expo
Ghaf, date palm, acacia arabica, acacia tortilis, vitex or sage, techoma and the salvadora are just some heat tolerant native plants in the nursery
Approximately 340 species of shrubs and trees selected for diverse landscape
The nursery team works exclusively with organic fertilisers and pesticides
All shrubs and trees supplied by Dubai Municipality
Most sourced from farms, nurseries across the country
Plants and trees are re-potted when they arrive at nursery to give them room to grow
Some mature trees are in open areas or planted within the expo site
Green waste is recycled as compost
Treated sewage effluent supplied by Dubai Municipality is used to meet the majority of the nursery’s irrigation needs
Construction workforce peaked at 40,000 workers
About 65,000 people have signed up to volunteer
Main themes of expo is ‘Connecting Minds, Creating the Future’ and three subthemes of opportunity, mobility and sustainability.
Expo 2020 Dubai to open in October 2020 and run for six months
Three tips from La Perle's performers
1 The kind of water athletes drink is important. Gwilym Hooson, a 28-year-old British performer who is currently recovering from knee surgery, found that out when the company was still in Studio City, training for 12 hours a day. “The physio team was like: ‘Why is everyone getting cramps?’ And then they realised we had to add salt and sugar to the water,” he says.
2 A little chocolate is a good thing. “It’s emergency energy,” says Craig Paul Smith, La Perle’s head coach and former Cirque du Soleil performer, gesturing to an almost-empty open box of mini chocolate bars on his desk backstage.
3 Take chances, says Young, who has worked all over the world, including most recently at Dragone’s show in China. “Every time we go out of our comfort zone, we learn a lot about ourselves,” she says.
Infiniti QX80 specs
Engine: twin-turbocharged 3.5-liter V6
Power: 450hp
Torque: 700Nm
Price: From Dh450,000, Autograph model from Dh510,000
Available: Now
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UPI facts
More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
More than 3.5 million Indians reside in UAE
Indian tourists can make purchases in UAE using rupee accounts in India through QR-code-based UPI real-time payment systems
Indian residents in UAE can use their non-resident NRO and NRE accounts held in Indian banks linked to a UAE mobile number for UPI transactions
Water waste
In the UAE’s arid climate, small shrubs, bushes and flower beds usually require about six litres of water per square metre, daily. That increases to 12 litres per square metre a day for small trees, and 300 litres for palm trees.
Horticulturists suggest the best time for watering is before 8am or after 6pm, when water won't be dried up by the sun.
A global report published by the Water Resources Institute in August, ranked the UAE 10th out of 164 nations where water supplies are most stretched.
The Emirates is the world’s third largest per capita water consumer after the US and Canada.
The candidates
Dr Ayham Ammora, scientist and business executive
Ali Azeem, business leader
Tony Booth, professor of education
Lord Browne, former BP chief executive
Dr Mohamed El-Erian, economist
Professor Wyn Evans, astrophysicist
Dr Mark Mann, scientist
Gina MIller, anti-Brexit campaigner
Lord Smith, former Cabinet minister
Sandi Toksvig, broadcaster
Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
ICC Women's T20 World Cup Asia Qualifier 2025, Thailand
UAE fixtures
May 9, v Malaysia
May 10, v Qatar
May 13, v Malaysia
May 15, v Qatar
May 18 and 19, semi-finals
May 20, final
What are the main cyber security threats?
Cyber crime - This includes fraud, impersonation, scams and deepfake technology, tactics that are increasingly targeting infrastructure and exploiting human vulnerabilities.
Cyber terrorism - Social media platforms are used to spread radical ideologies, misinformation and disinformation, often with the aim of disrupting critical infrastructure such as power grids.
Cyber warfare - Shaped by geopolitical tension, hostile actors seek to infiltrate and compromise national infrastructure, using one country’s systems as a springboard to launch attacks on others.
COMPANY%20PROFILE%20
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EName%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Haltia.ai%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%202023%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECo-founders%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Arto%20Bendiken%20and%20Talal%20Thabet%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Dubai%2C%20UAE%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EIndustry%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20AI%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ENumber%20of%20employees%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2041%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFunding%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20About%20%241.7%20million%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Self%2C%20family%20and%20friends%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
BIGGEST CYBER SECURITY INCIDENTS IN RECENT TIMES
SolarWinds supply chain attack: Came to light in December 2020 but had taken root for several months, compromising major tech companies, governments and its entities
Microsoft Exchange server exploitation: March 2021; attackers used a vulnerability to steal emails
Kaseya attack: July 2021; ransomware hit perpetrated REvil, resulting in severe downtime for more than 1,000 companies
Log4j breach: December 2021; attackers exploited the Java-written code to inflitrate businesses and governments
