There are quite a few clubs in London, which means that local derbies are commonplace in the capital. That being said, there is an extent to which familiarity can breed contempt, which is how things often seem to be between Chelsea and Arsenal supporters. The match certainly doesn’t have the level of enmity that Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur supporters have for one another, with the North London Derby standing out as one of the fiercest rivalries in the country, but it is very much a game that TV companies are more than happy to fight with each other over the rights to broadcast it to million of people around the country.
The first ever match between the two sides came on the ninth of November 1907 when Chelsea hosted the team that was known as Woolwich Arsenal at the time, winning 2-1. They didn’t win again for nearly five years, drawing twice and losing three times. It was, in some ways, a sign of the ding-dong battles that the teams were going to share. In spite of the size and popularity of the two clubs, they didn’t meet in a domestic cup final until 2002, which was when the Gunners beat their rivals 2-0 in the FA Cup. They then lost 2-1 to Chelsea in the League Cup final five years later, but Arsenal won two more FA Cup finals against them after that.
Clubs That Share Players
In spite of the clear dislike of each other shared between the two sets of supporters, that same level of enmity isn’t really shared by the clubs. Instead, there have been a number of players who have played for both Chelsea and Arsenal at some point during their career. You might think that this would be a phenomenon from years past, yet it has been just as common in the modern era as it was in the likes of the pre-war days. That isn’t to say that it didn’t happen back then, with Sandy MacFarlane being the first player to start life at one club before ending up at the other. In this case, he played for Arsenal and then for Chelsea years later.
There have been some well-known names that have played for both of the London teams. Tommy Docherty, for example, was an Arsenal player until 1961, at which point he joined Chelsea and became player-manager. George Graham, who would become one of the most successful managers in the history of the Gunners, played for Chelsea before moving to Highbury in 1966. Some of Chelsea’s Premier League winners like Petr Čech, David Luiz and Willian later moved to Arsenal, as did players such Kai Havertz, who won the Champions League with the Blues, and Raheem Sterling. You wouldn’t see the likes on Merseyside or in Manchester.
Chelsea’s Full Match History Against Arsenal
Date | Home | Score | Away | Result | Competition |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
23 Apr 2024 | Arsenal | 5-0 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
21 Oct 2023 | Chelsea | 2-2 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
02 May 2023 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
06 Nov 2022 | Chelsea | 0-1 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
20 Apr 2022 | Chelsea | 2-4 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
22 Aug 2021 | Arsenal | 0-2 | Chelsea | W | Premier League |
12 May 2021 | Chelsea | 0-1 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
26 Dec 2020 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
01 Aug 2020 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
21 Jan 2020 | Chelsea | 2-2 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
29 Dec 2019 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | Premier League |
29 May 2019 | Chelsea | 4-1 | Arsenal | W | UEFA Europa League |
19 Jan 2019 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
18 Aug 2018 | Chelsea | 3-2 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
24 Jan 2018 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | League Cup |
10 Jan 2018 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | League Cup |
03 Jan 2018 | Arsenal | 2-2 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
17 Sep 2017 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
06 Aug 2017 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | L | FA Community Shield |
27 May 2017 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
04 Feb 2017 | Chelsea | 3-1 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
24 Sep 2016 | Arsenal | 3-0 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
24 Jan 2016 | Arsenal | 0-1 | Chelsea | W | Premier League |
19 Sep 2015 | Chelsea | 2-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
02 Aug 2015 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | FA Community Shield |
26 Apr 2015 | Arsenal | 0-0 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
05 Oct 2014 | Chelsea | 2-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
22 Mar 2014 | Chelsea | 6-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
23 Dec 2013 | Arsenal | 0-0 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
29 Oct 2013 | Arsenal | 0-2 | Chelsea | W | League Cup |
20 Jan 2013 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
29 Sep 2012 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | Premier League |
21 Apr 2012 | Arsenal | 0-0 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
29 Oct 2011 | Chelsea | 3-5 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
27 Dec 2010 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
03 Oct 2010 | Chelsea | 2-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
07 Feb 2010 | Chelsea | 2-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
29 Nov 2009 | Arsenal | 0-3 | Chelsea | W | Premier League |
10 May 2009 | Arsenal | 1-4 | Chelsea | W | Premier League |
18 Apr 2009 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | FA Cup |
30 Nov 2008 | Chelsea | 1-2 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
23 Mar 2008 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
16 Dec 2007 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
06 May 2007 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
25 Feb 2007 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | League Cup |
10 Dec 2006 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
18 Dec 2005 | Arsenal | 0-2 | Chelsea | W | Premier League |
21 Aug 2005 | Chelsea | 1-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
07 Aug 2005 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | FA Community Shield |
20 Apr 2005 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
12 Dec 2004 | Arsenal | 2-2 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
06 Apr 2004 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | UEFA Champions League |
24 Mar 2004 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | UEFA Champions League |
21 Feb 2004 | Chelsea | 1-2 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
15 Feb 2004 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
18 Oct 2003 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
25 Mar 2003 | Chelsea | 1-3 | Arsenal | L | FA Cup |
08 Mar 2003 | Arsenal | 2-2 | Chelsea | D | FA Cup |
01 Jan 2003 | Arsenal | 3-2 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
01 Sep 2002 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
04 May 2002 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
26 Dec 2001 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
08 Sep 2001 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
18 Feb 2001 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
13 Jan 2001 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
06 Sep 2000 | Chelsea | 2-2 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
06 May 2000 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
23 Oct 1999 | Chelsea | 2-3 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
31 Jan 1999 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
11 Nov 1998 | Arsenal | 0-5 | Chelsea | W | League Cup |
09 Sep 1998 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | Premier League |
18 Feb 1998 | Chelsea | 3-1 | Arsenal | W | League Cup |
08 Feb 1998 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
28 Jan 1998 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | League Cup |
21 Sep 1997 | Chelsea | 2-3 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
05 Apr 1997 | Chelsea | 0-3 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
04 Sep 1996 | Arsenal | 3-3 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
16 Dec 1995 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | Premier League |
30 Sep 1995 | Chelsea | 1-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
14 May 1995 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
15 Oct 1994 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
16 Apr 1994 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
20 Nov 1993 | Chelsea | 0-2 | Arsenal | L | Premier League |
01 Mar 1993 | Chelsea | 1-0 | Arsenal | W | Premier League |
03 Oct 1992 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | Premier League |
25 Apr 1992 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
05 Oct 1991 | Arsenal | 3-2 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
02 Feb 1991 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
15 Sep 1990 | Arsenal | 4-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
17 Mar 1990 | Arsenal | 0-1 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
30 Sep 1989 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
02 Apr 1988 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
03 Nov 1987 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
07 Mar 1987 | Chelsea | 1-0 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
25 Oct 1986 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
29 Apr 1986 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
21 Sep 1985 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
19 Jan 1985 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
25 Aug 1984 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
14 May 1979 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
16 Apr 1979 | Arsenal | 5-2 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
27 Mar 1978 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
26 Dec 1977 | Arsenal | 3-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
26 Oct 1976 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | League Cup |
26 Dec 1974 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
14 Sep 1974 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
13 Apr 1974 | Chelsea | 1-3 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
17 Nov 1973 | Arsenal | 0-0 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
20 Mar 1973 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
17 Mar 1973 | Chelsea | 2-2 | Arsenal | D | FA Cup |
20 Jan 1973 | Chelsea | 0-1 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
02 Sep 1972 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
16 Oct 1971 | Chelsea | 1-2 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
14 Aug 1971 | Arsenal | 3-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
03 Apr 1971 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
29 Aug 1970 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
17 Jan 1970 | Arsenal | 0-3 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
27 Sep 1969 | Chelsea | 3-0 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
14 Apr 1969 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
23 Nov 1968 | Arsenal | 0-1 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
30 Dec 1967 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
26 Dec 1967 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
04 Feb 1967 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
24 Sep 1966 | Chelsea | 3-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
19 Feb 1966 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
04 Sep 1965 | Arsenal | 1-3 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
06 Feb 1965 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
26 Sep 1964 | Arsenal | 1-3 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
14 Mar 1964 | Arsenal | 2-4 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
16 Nov 1963 | Chelsea | 3-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
24 Mar 1962 | Chelsea | 2-3 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
04 Nov 1961 | Arsenal | 0-3 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
15 Apr 1961 | Chelsea | 3-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
12 Nov 1960 | Arsenal | 1-4 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
09 Apr 1960 | Arsenal | 1-4 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
21 Nov 1959 | Chelsea | 1-3 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
11 Apr 1959 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
22 Nov 1958 | Chelsea | 0-3 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
08 Mar 1958 | Arsenal | 5-4 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
26 Oct 1957 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
26 Dec 1956 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
25 Dec 1956 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
24 Dec 1955 | Chelsea | 2-0 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
27 Aug 1955 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
27 Dec 1954 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
25 Dec 1954 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
15 Sep 1953 | Chelsea | 0-2 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
08 Sep 1953 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
06 Apr 1953 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
03 Apr 1953 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
07 Apr 1952 | Arsenal | 3-0 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
05 Apr 1952 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | FA Cup |
29 Aug 1951 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
22 Aug 1951 | Chelsea | 1-3 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
30 Aug 1950 | Chelsea | 0-1 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
23 Aug 1950 | Arsenal | 0-0 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
22 Mar 1950 | Chelsea | 0-1 | Arsenal | L | FA Cup |
18 Mar 1950 | Arsenal | 2-2 | Chelsea | D | FA Cup |
31 Aug 1949 | Arsenal | 2-3 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
24 Aug 1949 | Chelsea | 1-2 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
23 Apr 1949 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
30 Oct 1948 | Chelsea | 0-1 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
20 Mar 1948 | Arsenal | 0-2 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
01 Nov 1947 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
01 Mar 1947 | Arsenal | 1-2 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
20 Jan 1947 | Arsenal | 0-2 | Chelsea | W | FA Cup |
15 Jan 1947 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | FA Cup |
11 Jan 1947 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | FA Cup |
26 Oct 1946 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
18 Feb 1939 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
07 Jan 1939 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | FA Cup |
15 Oct 1938 | Chelsea | 4-2 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
19 Feb 1938 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
09 Oct 1937 | Chelsea | 2-2 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
24 Apr 1937 | Chelsea | 2-0 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
19 Dec 1936 | Arsenal | 4-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
27 Apr 1936 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
12 Oct 1935 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
06 Apr 1935 | Arsenal | 2-2 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
24 Nov 1934 | Chelsea | 2-5 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
28 Apr 1934 | Chelsea | 2-2 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
16 Dec 1933 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
22 Apr 1933 | Chelsea | 1-3 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
10 Dec 1932 | Arsenal | 4-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
02 Apr 1932 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
21 Nov 1931 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
04 Apr 1931 | Arsenal | 2-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
24 Jan 1931 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Arsenal | W | FA Cup |
29 Nov 1930 | Chelsea | 1-5 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
11 Jan 1930 | Arsenal | 2-0 | Chelsea | L | FA Cup |
05 Jan 1924 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
29 Dec 1923 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
24 Feb 1923 | Arsenal | 3-1 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
17 Feb 1923 | Chelsea | 0-0 | Arsenal | D | First Division |
14 Jan 1922 | Arsenal | 1-0 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
31 Dec 1921 | Chelsea | 0-2 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
11 Dec 1920 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
04 Dec 1920 | Chelsea | 1-2 | Arsenal | L | First Division |
13 Dec 1919 | Chelsea | 3-1 | Arsenal | W | First Division |
06 Dec 1919 | Arsenal | 1-1 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
30 Jan 1915 | Chelsea | 1-0 | Arsenal | W | FA Cup |
15 Feb 1913 | Chelsea | 1-1 | Woolwich Arsenal | D | First Division |
12 Oct 1912 | Woolwich Arsenal | 0-1 | Chelsea | W | First Division |
28 Mar 1910 | Chelsea | 0-1 | Woolwich Arsenal | L | First Division |
25 Sep 1909 | Woolwich Arsenal | 3-2 | Chelsea | L | First Division |
03 Apr 1909 | Woolwich Arsenal | 0-0 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
28 Nov 1908 | Chelsea | 1-2 | Woolwich Arsenal | L | First Division |
07 Mar 1908 | Woolwich Arsenal | 0-0 | Chelsea | D | First Division |
09 Nov 1907 | Chelsea | 2-1 | Woolwich Arsenal | W | First Division |