Arsenal and Chelsea renew their rivalry in the Premier League this weekend, with Arsene Wenger and Jose Mourinho indulging in their usual war of words.
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Although not traditionally a huge rivalry, with Arsenal historically more passionate about games against their north London neighbours Tottenham Hotspur, and with Chelsea not really a consistent top four club until the last decade, this is now one of the most heated fixtures in England – and here are five incidents that have fueled the rivalry in recent times…
1) Roman Abramovich buy
This rivalry certainly intensified as soon as Roman Abramovich bought Chelsea in 2003, trying to turn the Blues into title challengers with some big-money signings. Things didn’t click straight away at Stamford Bridge, with Arsenal winning the Premier League unbeaten in the Russian’s first year in England, though it wasn’t long before the Blues started to dominate the domestic scene with consecutive title wins in 2005 and 2006, plus a further one in 2010. With Arsenal the polar opposites in terms of bringing through untested young players over big names, it’s easy to see why the two clubs found a reason not to get on.
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2) Jose Mourinho style
As well as Chelsea’s habits of buying big names under Roman Abramovich, Jose Mourinho has also aggravated Arsenal fans on many occasions, appearing to enjoy the Gunners’ lack of success, taunting Arsene Wenger for being a ‘voyeur’ back in 2005 and by implementing a vastly different style of play from that seen at the Emirates Stadium, preferring a more defensive approach to Arsenal’s tradition of attack-minded football. Given the difference in terms of transfer budget between the teams, some Arsenal fans clearly feel Chelsea should be able to produce more entertaining football with their calibre of player.
3) Ashley Cole move
A big incident that really increased the hatred levels between Arsenal and Chelsea was Ashley Cole’s move from the Gunners to the Blues in the summer of 2006, leaving due to a dispute over his pay in north London. Cole was booed by his old fans ever since then, though he willl feel his move was justified due to the success he enjoyed at Stamford Bridge.
4) Carling Cup final clash
Things all came to the boil in a heated Carling Cup final clash between Arsenal and Chelsea in 2007, with the Blues once again getting the better of the Gunners with a 2-1 win, despite Wenger’s side fielding a largely reserve side full of promising young players who’d served the team well in getting to the final in the first place. Towards the end of the match, things got a bit out of hand and three players were sent off – John Obi Mikel for Chelsea and Emmanuel Adebayor and Kolo Toure for Arsenal.
5) Chelsea’s Champions League win
With Arsenal long regarded as the biggest team in London, it was a big blow for their fans as new kids on the block Chelsea became the first club from the capital to win the Champions League, beating Bayern Munich on penalties in the 2011/12 season – a feat once again achieved with the combination of big-money signings and defensive-minded football.