Published By: Rohit Chatterjee

Premier League 2024/25: Five Reasons Why Arsenal vs. Chelsea Matters Despite Not Being Traditional Rivals of English Football

The clubs share 19 league titles between them, with Arsenal’s 13 leading the race, whereas Chelsea has only six title

This Sunday, i.e., November 10, we will witness the clash between two Premier League giants—Arsenal and Chelsea—two of the biggest and oldest clubs in England. The clash between the two is called the North West London Derby, which means the relationship between the two clubs and their fans isn’t really too sweet. In fact, the clubs don’t really get along well, but why? After all, the two clubs have never been traditional rivals in the history of English football, given the massive differences in play style, revenue, and several other factors.

Ahead of the Sunday clash, we’ve listed five reasons why the Arsenal vs. Chelsea rivalry really matters in the history of English football. However, before we understand why the rivalry matters, let us understand why the two clubs are not traditional rivals.

Londoners with different rivals

Traditionally, when two clubs from a single city clash against each other, it is called a derby, but over the years, the definition has changed. Take Barcelona and Real Madrid; they are not from the same city, but their clash is called the El Clasico, and they also fall into the list of Spanish derbies.

In the case of Chelsea and Arsenal, Chelsea is a club present in the Fulham area of London, where Fulham Football Club also plays, so traditionally, Chelsea’s rival or derby should be against Fulham. On the other hand, Arsenal has Tottenham as its closest rival in the north of London.

However, their rivalry is of greater magnitude given how they have grown over the years and also because of the number of times they have crossed each other's paths.

Wearing numbers

In English football, Arsenal and Chelsea were the first clubs to wear numbers on their jerseys in 1928. Both clubs hit the ground with numbers on their backs on the same day, going against the rules of the Football Association. While it isn’t known which club’s idea it was to wear the numbers, the other indeed copied the newfound norm, which did not sit well with the one who generated the idea—one of the small things that intensified the rivalry. Not to forget, two years later, in 1930, Arsenal defeated Chelsea by 5-1.

On 25 August, 1928, Arsenal wore numbers against Sheffield whereas Chelsea played with numbers against Swansea

Chelsea’s relegation

While Chelsea was never good at winning things, Arsenal has always been a superior club, and in the 1978/79 season, it was the loss of 5-2 against Arsenal that got Chelsea relegated. The Blues won only five games that season, and their wounds were further aggravated when Arsenal lifted the FA Cup.

Perfect…yet not

Before Arsenal’s 2004 “Invincibles” season, George Graham had led the team with zero defeats throughout the season in 1990/91. However, in early February at the Stamford Bridge, Chelsea defeated Arsenal by 2-1, which ruined the once-in-a-lifetime moment for Graham and that squad. It took Arsenal another 13 years to become the Invincibles under the reign of Arsene Wenger.

Three times, the double winners

In 1971 and 1998, Arsenal were the double winners, with the 1998 season a close battle given Chelsea was also in contention for the league title. In 2002, Arsenal again won the double by defeating Chelsea in the FA Cup final by 2-0, whereas four days later, they sealed the title by winning against Manchester United. There are nearly seven clubs from London in the Premier League, but back then, only Arsenal was winning, whereas Chelsea was failing to convert its chances.

The Roman era

The revamped first division, i.e., the Premier League, started in 1992, and this was the period when Arsenal versus Chelsea became a more prominent rivalry, which was further heightened by the arrival of Roman Abramovich as Chelsea’s owner. Using his Siberian loot, Roman gave the big guns to Chelsea to go to war against Arsenal. If we compare how things have been post-2004 for both clubs, Chelsea has been a much better outfit with great success, establishing itself as a Premier League giant, whereas Arsenal is still living in the glories of the yesteryear.

On November 10, Chelsea’s sole motive will be to take revenge for the 5-0 defeat it suffered earlier this year at the hands of Arsenal. The Gunners, though, will play more for the title, having not lifted one in two decades.