When the blue army of South-West London meet the red and white troops of North London, the Premier League expect goals, action, a brooding set of fans and more importantly quality matches.
With Sunday’s potentially make-or-break clash at Stamford Bridge imminent, memories and nostalgia will grip both sets of fans as they recall vintage games between their sides.
Chelsea v Arsenal, 2010
Arsene Wenger's young charges start the game six points adrift of their hosts, and after being on the receiving end of a sorry 3-1 beating by second-place Manchester United, know that a defeat at Stamford Bridge could spell curtains for their title aspirations for a fifth successive season.
Nevertheless, the Gunners have a decent record at SW9 and coach Arsene Wenger will recall his side netting a sensational 2-1 win at the Bridge last season.
Here are five modern-day classic matches between Arsenal and Chelsea.
Chelsea 2-3 Arsenal, 1999, Kanu Hat-trick
The greatest hat-trick of all time? Perhaps so given the minutes, time and sheer shock value of Arsenal striker Nwankwo Kanu’s simply mesmerizing treble.
With the Gunners trailing Manchester United in the league table, defeat to Chelsea could have proved fateful to Arsenal’s title dreams.
2-0 down to Chelsea at Stamford Bridge with fifteen minutes left on the clock and on a waterlogged pitch, there was only ever going to be one winner right?
Wrong, as spaghetti-legged Nigerian Kanu killed the Blues with an incredible hat-trick in an totally unpredictable last fifteen minutes.
So scarred were Chelsea by the ordeal that they would then fail to register a win over Arsenal at home until 2005.
Arsenal 2-0 Chelsea, FA Cup Final 2002
A match which will live long in the archives charting Arsenal history. Having suffered the ignominy of defeat to Liverpool in the 2001 FA Cup final, Arsene Wenger’s men were determined to pick up the winners medal the following year against Claudio Ranieri’s dogged Chelsea side.
Alas, a superb long-range strike by fan favourite Ray Parlour and an exquisite individual effort by midfielder Freddie Ljunberg sealed a 2-0 win for the Gunners and one half of a domestic double.
Arsenal 1-2 Chelsea, UEFA Champions League, Quarter Final, 2004
A true Highbury classic. The 2004 UEFA Champions League quarter-final second leg between Arsenal and Chelsea will be remembered for two things: Wayne Bridge’s last minute winner and Blues coach Claudio Ranieri’s explosion of tears and joy in victory.
As the well-known maxim in London stipulates; you wait two hours for a bus, and then four come along at once.
Alas, after failing to overturn the Gunners four times during the 2003/2004 season, Chelsea finally netted a win over Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles in dramatic fashion.
Trailing 1-0 after Jose Antonio Reyes’ first-half strike, the Blues equalised through Frank Lampard before a clinical finish from Wayne Bridge of all people minutes from the end left Highbury sounding more like a Highbury.
Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal, Carling Cup Final 2007
When the two sides met in the Carling Cup final in 2007, both sides were expected to put on a footballing fiesta.
However, that was far from the case as the match was marred by a 22-man scuffle at the end which led to three red cards.
Arsenal striker Emmanuel Adebayor and defender Kolo Toure were sent off for their part in the ruckus, whilst Chelsea had midfielder John Obi Mikel also dismissed as the ugly and chaotic scenes were beamed all around the world.
For the record Chelsea won 2-1 thanks to two goals by Didier Drogba – not that many people noticed.
Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea, 2009
Whatever Chelsea striker Didier Drogba uses to motivate himself before facing Arsenal seems to work as the big Ivorian exercised his karmic need to heap more and more misery on the Gunners.
Two goals, the second being a net-busting free-kick, saw Carlo Ancelotti’s men smash Arsenal to pieces in a show of pure grit, power, poise and clinical finishing. How Chelsea fans revelled in victory!
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