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Chelsea and Arsenal battle it out for the second time in less than a month at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday night. Frank Lampard‘s side ran out 2-1 winners at the Emirates Stadium back in December the last time these two London rivals faced off. An inspired and rather controversial come-back saw Chelsea score 2 goals in 5 minutes just about 20 days ago.
While they never considered each other main rivals, as two of the biggest and most successful clubs in London there has always been strong needle between the fans and there is always a buzz around when these two giants meet. These two sides have played out many intense, controversial and memorable games and we look at their top 5 encounters of all-time:
#5 April 2004: Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea (UCL quarter-final)
It's always a thrilling encounter when two teams from the same league meet in the UCL. It was so when these two London rivals met back in April 2004. A late goal from Chelsea left-back Wayne Bridge sealed a tense battle between the two sides when they met in the quarter-final. Chelsea progressed to the semi-final after winning 2-1 at Highbury against an Arsenal side who were unbeaten in the Premier League at the time.
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The game went to extra-time when Jose Antonio Reyes' goal was cancelled out by Chelsea's current boss Frank Lampard. There were only a few minutes left on the clock when Wayne Bridge exchanged an incredible one-two with Eidur Gudjohnsen and scored a stunning goal. Chelsea had beaten Arsenal for the first time in five years and it was a wonderful victory for the Blues.
Chelsea were beaten in the semi-final by Monaco but the fans will always remember that memorable win against Arsenal.
#4 May 2019 - Chelsea 4-1 Arsenal (Europa League Final)
The latest European encounter between Arsenal and Chelsea took place last year. Arsenal had all to play for in the Europa League final as they were chasing a spot in the UEFA Champions League. With only about 5,000 fans from both sides able to make it to Azerbaijan, there was an eerie atmosphere at the Olympic Stadium in Baku, which appeared less than half full.
It was a match which was dominated by the Blues from the word go. Chelsea scored 3 goals in 16 minutes after a goalless first half to stamp their authority in the game. A stunning strike by Alex Iwobi meant little when Eden Hazard scored only three minutes later to end the game and seal the trophy for Chelsea. The Belgian was supported by Pedro and Olivier Giroud, who were also the scorers in that game. Hazard scored twice in his final game for Chelsea to help secure the 4-1 win, ending the Gunners' hopes of qualifying for next season's Champions League.
Maurizio Sarri's first season at the club finished with silverware and third spot in the league. The Italian was linked to Juventus before the game and the rumours did turn out to be true, as he joined the Italian champions after only one year in England.
#3 Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal - October 1999
Arguably the best solo-performance in this fixture's history. It was an amazing performance by the Gunners as they came back and won in dramatic style against their rivals away from home. Andre Flo and Dan Petrescu scored headers and put Chelsea in a commanding position in the game. It looked like Chelsea were going to get the 3 points but Arsenal weren't done yet. With 3 goals in the last 15 minutes, Nigerian striker Nwankwo Kanu lead the charge for the reds.
Three of the very best by Kanu meant that Arsenal had completed an epic comeback and made it a game for the ages. It was a fiercely-fought London derby and Chelsea collapsed after a furious Arsenal comeback. Chelsea keeper Ed De Goey had not conceded a goal at Stamford Bridge until this match but had to pick out the ball from the goal three times in the second half.
#2 October 2011 - Chelsea 3-5 Arsenal
Arsenal were ampant on the day and Robin Van Persie did what he does best. Lampard put Chelsea ahead, only for Van Persie to equalise with his first goal of the afternoon. It was captain John Terry who gave Chelsea back their lead but it was short-lived as Andre Santos and Theo Walcott scored to make it 3-2 for Arsenal.
With 10 minutes to go, it was Juan Mata who pulled the score back to 3-3 but it was all about the Dutch forward from that moment. Van Persie capitalised on a terrible Terry slip to sneak Arsenal ahead and then added another late goal to seal the win, ensuring Arsenal celebrated one of the best derbies between the two sides.
The Gunners captain demonstrated his significance to the team by taking his tally to an outstanding 28 goals in 27 Premier League games, ending the season with 30 goals. It was eight wins in Arsenal's last nine games and Wenger's wild celebrations with his players and backroom staff spoke for itself. Chelsea players and staff looked stunned on the sidelines at the regularity with which the home defence was exposed.
#1 March 2014 - Chelsea 6-0 Arsenal, Wenger's 1000th game
Arsene Wenger's 1,000th game in charge of Arsenal turned out to be an occasion to forget for the Frenchman as his 10-man team were crushed by Chelsea. It only took 7 minutes for the Blues to score twice and take charge of the game as Samuel Eto'o and then Andre Schurrle benefitted from clinical Chelsea counter-attacking.
Kieran Gibbs was dismissed following Oxlade-Chamberlain's first-half handball. Eden Hazard's penalty after that handball all but finished the match as a contest. Arsenal promptly fell apart as the game wore on and an Oscar brace was rounded off by substitute's Mohamed Salah strike to make it a stunning scoreline of 6-0.
It was Jose Mourinho's biggest Premier League victory as Chelsea manager and also the first time in Chelsea's history that they have scored six times against their London rivals. Arguably Arsenal's worst-ever Premier League defeat, Chelsea fans will always remember this day fondly.
