Has a Premier League game ever been played on Christmas Eve? When did it last happen?

Premier League soccer on Boxing Day has long been a Christmas tradition, although the modern-day festive schedule in the English top flight is somewhat watered down compared to yesteryear. Once upon a time, matches on Christmas Day were commonplace, although the last fixture played in England on 25 December was a 4-2 win for Blackpool against Blackburn Rovers in 1965. Fast forward 58 years and the 2023 clash between Wolves and Chelsea has caused controversy for being scheduled for Christmas Eve.

How many Premier League games have been played on Christmas Eve?

Since the Premier League was founded in 1992, only once before has a game taken place on 24 December. Cast your minds back 28 years to 1995, when a Manchester United team featuring a young David Beckham made the short trip to Elland Road to take on fierce rivals Leeds United.

Manchester United and Beckham beaten in Leeds

The Red Devils had been beaten to the Premier League title the previous season by an Alan Shearer-led Blackburn and were also playing catch-up to Newcastle United, who had started the season in scintillating fashion. Leeds went into the game in poor form, having picked up just one point from their last five fixtures, but flew out of the blocks and raced into an early through Gary McAllister’s penalty.

Andy Cole briefly levelled, but Tony Yeboah restored the hosts’ advantage with a cute finish past Peter Schmeichel before Brian Deane’s second-half header secure a deserved three points for the Whites. A day to forget for Beckham, who was booked and substituted with quarter of an hour to play. But despite the result, the Manchester side would go on to overtake Newcastle and win a third title in four years, while 1991-92 champions Leeds ended up in 13th place.

Why are Chelsea fans unhappy about their fixture against Wolves?

Christmas Eve soccer is back after a long wait this year, with Wolverhampton Wanderers hosting Chelsea at Molineux. But the fixture hasn’t exactly been seen as a welcome addition to the festive schedule. Blues fans in particular have made their unhappiness unknown to the Premier League, with the Chelsea Supporters’ Trust launching a #GetStuffed protest campaign in which they claim to have been treated as customers rather than supporters.

London to Wolverhampton is an approximate 250-mile round trip, but few public transport services are running on Christmas Eve due to regular suspensions over the festive period and strikes.

No Christmas Eve games in 2024-25

Their protest does, at least, seem to have caught the attention of Premier League bosses, who have announced there will be no matches played on 24 December in 2024-25.