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London is without a doubt the football capital of England. With thirteen professional teams at the top four levels, the number of derbies is higher than in any other city. But which London derbies are the most fraught with rivalry? You can read that in this blog!
North London derby
North West London derbies
The Dockers derby
East London derby
South London derby
West London derbies
Tottenham Hotspur – West Ham
In matches between Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur, the whole of north London is on edge. The rivalry between the two clubs has existed since Arsenal played at Highbury in 1913. Due to the many mutual matches, tensions have risen higher and higher. Fans of both teams dislike each other and any players who switch to the nemesis team, just as Sol Campbell did in 2001.
Counting from 1909, Arsenal and Tottenham played each other 195 times. The Gunners achieved the best results with 82 wins. 52 times the North London Derby ended in a draw. The Spurs won 61 times.
This derby may not be the most fraught, but it is worth mentioning. Chelsea’s stadium, Stamford Bridge, is located in the north-west of London. When the players and fans of The Blues travel to Arsenal, they are not welcomed with open arms. The animosity between Chelsea and Arsenal has grown in recent years due to the rise of Chelsea since the 90s.
Chelsea and Arsenal have played each other 209 times. Arsenal have won most often (83 times). In 60 games, both teams split the points. Chelsea have won a total of 66 times.
Tottenham Hotspur’s supporters are not exactly friends with Chelsea’s either. From the first meeting between the teams in 1909, the matches were played at the cutting edge. When The Spurs and The Blues play against each other, the stadiums fill up, the players on the pitch and the spectators in the stands are very keen for their team to come out on top.
Tottenham vs Chelsea has been played 177 times, with Chelsea winning 79 times and Tottenham Hotspur 55 times. The 43 remaining games were draws.
Millwall and West Ham United have one of the longest and fiercest London derbies in English football. For the supporters of these clubs, football is not just a game. For them, football is a matter of life and death and you have to fight for your own club with everything you have. It all comes up in The Dockers derby, which is so called because both clubs were founded by port workers.
The Dockers derby has been played 99 times with each game bringing tension. Millwall have won most often; 38 times compared to West Ham’s 34 times. The points were shared 27 times.
In east London there is no derby between two clubs, but as usual there is always a rivalry. This area is the site of West Ham United, Leyton Orient and Dagenham & Redbridge and all matches between these three are seen as an East London derby. However, they occur sporadically, as the teams often play at different levels.
West Ham are invariably part of the Premier League and have not played an East London derby for a long time. Leyton Orient and Dagenham & Redbridge meet more often, the last time being in 2019.
Crystal Palace are the highest-ranked club in south London and seem to have lost sight of their rivals in the South London derbies. Charlton Athletic and Millwall play in the lower leagues; Charlton are in League One and Millwall are in the Championship.
Crystal Palace have been playing in the Premier League since 2014 and are more concerned with London’s bigger clubs, such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur. Those matches are definitely worth a visit, partly because Selhurst Park, the stadium of Crystal Palace, offers an authentic and intimate English football experience.
Image source: ChristalPalace, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
Chelsea not only have enemies in north London (Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur), but also closer to home in west London. Both Fulham and Queens Park Rangers see Chelsea as their biggest rival. The fans of The Blues have paid little attention to these clubs in recent years as they focus on the teams who they compete for the Premier League title with.
However, there are cup matches between Chelsea and Fulham or Chelsea and QPR, and these matches should not be missed as the rivalry provides outstanding football.
The figures also show that Chelsea are a size too big for their neighbours from west London. Chelsea played 88 times against Fulham, won 51 times, drew 27 times and lost 10 times.
Chelsea vs QPR has been played 55 times where The Blues have won 22 times. Eighteen times it was a draw and fifteen times QPR won.
Fulham and Queens Park Rangers were already rivals when Chelsea didn’t exist. The neighbours have been facing each other since 1892. Unlike Chelsea, who are bigger and more successful – Fulham and QPR are similar clubs in size and history. That makes the tension in this West London derby all the greater. Fulham and QPR have faced each other 42 times. Fulham were the most successful with 21 wins, 7 ended in a draw and QPR have celebrated victory 14 times.
Fulham and Brentford prefer not to be mentioned in the same breath, but simply share a rivalry and a special history. In the ’80s and ’90s, supporters of both clubs developed a dislike for each other, causing many conflicts to take place on the pitch and in the stands. In 2020, that rivalry came to a boiling point: Fulham defeated Brentford in the final of the play-offs for promotion to the Premier League. Nothing better than winning at the expense of your arch-rival!
The football rivalry between Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United was not born on the basis of location or head-to-head matches. The tension stems from the hooliganism in the 80s of English football. Supporters of both clubs often met outside the stadiums which then transferred the rivalry to the teams, making the matches very fraught. Fortunately, there is no longer a lot of violence, but the exciting matches have remained!
Tottenham and West Ham played each other 223 times. The Spurs won more often with 101 victories against The Hammers 67 wins.
Image source: Egghead06, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons
London offers plenty of beautiful derbies, classic games, historic matches and duels between top rated clubs. Through P1 Travel you will experience the glory of the Premier League at Arsenal, Chelsea, Crystal Palace, Tottenham Hotspur, Fulham or West Ham United. Alternatively you could go for the authentic English football experience in the Championship at Millwall or Queens Park Rangers. We are your guide in the football world of London!
You can also read our blog about the best football managers.
Have you always wanted to visit one of the London derbies? View our overview of football matches, filter on London as a city and see all football matches in London.
