Chelsea vs Arsenal Tickets

You know that whenever the Gunners visit Stamford Bridge there is going to be a raucous atmosphere all round.

This ground has been the home of Chelsea FC ever since the club was founded in 1905. Check out the Stamford Bridge seating plan to determine the best seats to view this huge clash between two rivals.

Chelsea vs Arsenal History

Perhaps one of the fiercest rivalries in the Premier League, Chelsea vs Arsenal always promises to be a hugely entertaining affair that has provided a number of memorable moments.

There is more than 100 years worth of history between these fellow London clubs, but only in the 2000s did Chelsea and Arsenal become major rivals under respective managers José Mourinho and Arsène Wenger.

The first-ever meeting between these teams came in 1907, as Chelsea claimed a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge. They have gone on to share a pitch more than 200 times, all but a few in the top flight of English football.

When the Gunners won a 13th League title – their third in the Premier League era – in 2004, Chelsea had just a single First Division triumph (in 1955) and two FA Cup successes overall. Since then, Arsenal have yet to reclaim top honours while Chelsea have been crowned Premier League champions on no fewer than five occasions in that time.

Everything changed when Chelsea FC owner, Russian billionaire Roman Abramovich hired Mourinho as manager in the summer of 2004. The Portuguese coach was fresh off of steering FC Porto to Champions League glory and he proceeded to mastermind the Blues towards back-to-back Premier League titles.

Mourinho and Wenger feuded publicly and there were several altercations (both physical and verbal) between the pair, on the touchline and in the media.

Despite the rivalry between Chelsea and Arsenal, a surprising number of players have played for both clubs and even moved directly between them.

• William Gallas made 225 appearances for Chelsea before signing for Arsenal in 2006, with England left-back Ashley Cole moving in the opposite direction.
• Cesc Fabregas moved to Arsenal as an 18-year-old, departing from boyhood club FC Barcelona. The World Cup-winning Spain midfielder played more than 300 times for the Gunners before returning to Barca in 2011, and then completed a transfer to Chelsea three years later during Mourinho's second spell in charge.
• Petr Čech was one of Mourinho's first signings as Chelsea manager in 2004 and the goalkeeper would go on to make 494 appearances for the Blues, winning four Premier League titles and the UEFA Champions League once during his 11-year stay at Stamford Bridge. Čech was signed by Arsenal in 2015 and he remained there for four seasons, adding a fifth FA Cup winner's medal to his collection, before bringing his playing career to an end in 2019.
• Brazil defender David Luiz had two stints as a Chelsea player, making a combined 248 appearances for the Blues, before he completed a surprise move to Arsenal in 2019.
• Willian played more than 330 times for Chelsea and then switched to Arsenal on a free transfer in 2020.
• Germany international Kai Havertz became the latest player to swap blue for red within London, as part of a £60m deal between Arsenal and Chelsea. He reunited with Italy midfielder Jorginho, who also left Stamford Bridge for the Emirates Stadium in January 2023.

Chelsea vs Arsenal Head-to-Head

In recent years, derbies between Chelsea and Arsenal have seen no shortage of goals, or red cards for that matter.

In 2015, the Blues won 2-0 after the visiting Gunners were reduced to nine players, with Chelsea striker Diego Costa in and amongst several scuffles between the two sets of players. This came just a year after Mourinho and Wenger had to be separated by the fourth official at Stamford Bridge, in another 2-0 victory for Chelsea.

Chelsea have managed to inflict heavy defeats on Arsenal, including the damous 6-0 thrashing in 2014. This game featured a peculiar case of mistaken identity, as referee Andre Marriner brandished a red card to Kieran Gibbs instead of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after the latter committed an intentional handball in the penalty area.

The Blues have also had moments their fans will want to forget, like when the Gunners ran riot in a 5-3 win in 2011. Robin van Persie was the hero for Arsenal that day, claiming a hat-trick at Stamford Bridge.

These teams contested the UEFA Europa League final in 2019, held at the Olympic Stadium in Baku. Eden Hazard was the star of the show as Chelsea ran out 4-1 winners in what was the winger's final outing for the Blues.

You never know what to expect when these London rivals take to the pitch at Stamford Bridge, which certainly adds to the intrigue that the fixture creates every time it is played.