Who doesn’t love derbies? Rivalries and the passion that goes into a match are few of the things that make football so exciting and the hate and hunger for glory that precedes a derby game is unparalleled.
English football has some heated derbies and rivalries like the Merseyside and Manchester Derby which rarely fail to disappoint. With a host of over ten teams set in more than three divisions, the city of London has some of the best derbies in the country and ones that fans cannot wait to watch.
For a fan, few things (if any) are as important as a derby victory and here, we look at the five best London derbies –
#5 West London Derby – Fulham vs Queens Park Rangers/Brentford
A West London Derby is basically when any of these four teams – Brentford, Chelsea, QPR and Fulham face each other. However, these teams have largely been in separate divisions for the most part and Chelsea’s dominance in the Premier League means the fans do not view the others as their primary rivals anymore.
The other three clubs in question, however, play together in the Championship and even though their matches are not as heated as the other ones on the list, fans still take pride in this fixture and anything but a win is embarrassing for all the teams in question.
Both Brentford and QPR now regard Fulham as their main rivals, and hence Fulham’s game with either of the two makes this list (QPR fans do not consider Brentford as one of their top 3 rivals).
#4 Chelsea vs Tottenham Hotspur
While Chelsea vs Spurs has not been the fiercest of rivalries, in the long run, the game has become highly relevant in the past few seasons as the latter have grown more and more powerful this decade.
Most recently, this game broke Chelsea’s astounding winning run of 13 games as Spurs beat their rivals at White Hart Lane and before that, the Blues ended any and all title hopes that Pochettino’s men had by holding them to a draw, which saw Leicester win the title.
That game particularly angered the Spurs’ faithful and the rivalry has a new fire to it, as was seen in the most recent game. With The Lilywhites only growing and becoming better while Chelsea are now already an established team, this game has a new sense of purpose and you can expect future games to be tightly contested and heated.
#3 Millwall FC vs West Ham United (Dockers Derby)
The only reason this rivalry ranks third in this list and not higher is due to the fact that it rarely occurs nowadays as both teams play in different divisions of English football. However, take nothing away from the fixture itself, though, which just might be the most heated out of all the London derbies.
This South London vs East London derby is also known as the Dockers Derby due to the clubs' historical ties to the shipbuilding industry along the Thames. Despite being contested infrequently (the last game happening in 2012), this game has often been marred with hooliganism as fans cannot keep their fists in their pockets.
Millwall actually come out on top, with 38 wins as compared to West Ham’s 34. A derby in the true sense of the word.
#2 Arsenal vs Chelsea
Probably the most awaited game out of all the ones on this list, Chelsea vs Arsenal is a rivalry whose importance increased in the 2000’s as the former rose to prominence.
This fixture has seen some of the most memorable scorelines and moments in Premier League history, most recently a Jose Mourinho-led Chelsea demolishing Arsenal 6-0 on the eve of Arsene Wenger’s 1000th game in charge.
Both sets of fans leave no stone unturned before and when this match arrives, and the banter and the feeling of intense rivalry between the club in the modern era makes it one of the best rivalries in not just England, but the whole of Europe. This is one of those games that you just HAVE to win – the bragging rights that go with it are immense, and more often than not in recent years, the game has a great effect on the Premier League title race.
Arsenal currently lead Chelsea in the all-time win department with 73 wins to 61, but the latter have upped their game in the last decade and have been the dominating team for the most part during that time.
#1 The North London Derby – Arsenal vs Tottenham Hotspur
There is no argument that the North London Derby is without a doubt THE most intense, fierce and relevant derby on this list, as well as being arguably the second best derby in England’s history (following the Merseyside Derby).
A rivalry not only relevant in the modern era but one that traces its roots way back in 1913 when the Gunners moved to Highbury, with the two clubs now located just 6.4 kilometres away from each other. The two sets of fans hate each other with some passion and the amount of venom when one team visits the other is apparent.
As aforementioned, the rise of Tottenham Hotspur has made this game fiercer and evenly contested, with the fixture being hugely relevant this decade. The derby has been contested over 180 times and Arsenal lead this rivalry also with 78 victories against Spurs’ 55.
A hugely awaited game which might not draw as much worldwide audience as does the Chelsea and Arsenal game, but which means a lot more to the fans.
