Arsenal vs Chelsea Timeline & H2H Stats

Whilst it is technically true to say that this is a London derby, it lacks the spice that some of the other matchups between London clubs tend to boast. Both Arsenal and Chelsea supporters have an extremely dislike of Tottenham Hotspur, for example, with some truly fiery games taking place between them. It isn’t that matches between these two clubs always take place without a hitch, but rather that they are two sides that happen to be based in London rather than being two fiercely London clubs. They played each other for the first time just two years after Chelsea were first formed, with the Blues winning 2-1 in the First Division match.

Such is the level of respect between the two clubs that there are a good number of players that have lined up in the colours of both sides. George Graham would go on to become one of Arsenal’s most successful ever managers, for example, but before that he was a Chelsea player and then lined up for the Gunners. Ashley Cole earned the nickname ‘Cashley’ when he departed Arsenal for the riches of Roman Abramovich’s Chelsea team, whilst Kai Havertz scored the winning goal for the Blues in the Champions League final before deciding to line up for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal side from 2023 onwards.

Battling for the Big Trophies

Prior to the advent of the Premier League, Arsenal won the English top-flight ten times. During those campaigns, they went up against the likes of Aston Villa and Liverpool for the title, but Chelsea were never part of the conversation. Similarly, Chelsea’s one pre-Premier League title came at the end of the 1954-1955 season, but it was Wolverhampton Wanderers and Portsmouth that were pushing them for the title, not Arsenal. In the Premier League era, however, things became slightly different. When Arsenal won the title in the 2003-2004 season, doing so without losing a game, it was Chelsea that finished second behind them.

When it was Chelsea’s turn to win titles, Arsenal were the club trying to stop them. They finished second behind José Mourinho’s side at the end of the 2004-2005 season, for example. The sides have also played each other in some major finals. The first time that they met was in the 2002 FA Cup final, with Arsenal winning 2-0 having lost 2-1 to Liverpool in dramatic circumstances the year before. Five years later and Chelsea won the League Cup final, then Arsenal won the FA Cup final a decade on from that. In 2019, the clubs took their battle onto the European stage, with Chelsea defeating the Gunners 4-1 in the Europa League final.

Arsenal’s Full Match History Against Chelsea