The Premier League is chock-full of fantastic rivalries; whether it is the Manchester derby, the Merseyside derby, the North London derby or the west London derby, we are never more than a few weeks away from another tasty encounter between bitter enemies in the English top flight.
However, when it comes to real, genuine rivalries, few are more heated than the one between Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea. Whether they’re fighting to reach a cup final, fighting for the top four, or fighting for nothing more than pride, you can be guaranteed that when these two sides line up against one another, it’s going to be a cracker.
With that in mind, we have created a list of the top 10 games between Tottenham and Chelsea.
11
Blues complete comeback after penalty mayhem
1994 – Chelsea 4-3 Tottenham
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Chelsea 4-3 Tottenham
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Mal Donaghy 29′
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Steve Sedgley 17′
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Mark Stein 33′
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Jason Dozzell 18′
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John Spencer 40′
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Andy A Gray 72′ Penalty
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Mark Stein 89′ Penalty
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The first entry on our list takes us back to 1994 when Tottenham travelled to Stamford Bridge, and nothing more than pride was on the line.
The first half was about as action-packed as it could have been, with Spurs finding themselves two goals up by the 20th minute before the Blues responded with three goals of their own to take the lead going into the break.
Tottenham pressed hard for an equaliser in the second half and finally found one when Andy Gray scored from the spot in the 72nd minute. The Lilywhites were then awarded another penalty just minutes later, but this time it was saved.
As the game reached its dramatic conclusion Chelsea were also awarded a penalty, and with just a minute left on the clock, Make Stein tucked it away, scoring his second of the day and securing the win for his side.
10
The Blues force a replay
2007 – Chelsea 3-3 Tottenham
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Chelsea 3-3 Tottenham
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Frank Lampard 22′
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Dimitar Berbatov 5′
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Frank Lampard 71′
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Michael Essien 28′ OG
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Salomon Kalou 86′
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Hossam Ghaly 36′
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In March 2007, Chelsea played host to Tottenham in what has to be one of the most exciting FA Cup quarter-finals of all time.
The Blues were the firm favourites ahead of the game, not only because they had home advantage but because they had finished second in the league the previous season and were once again in a title race with Manchester United this season.
So, when the Lilywhites took an early lead through Dimitar Berbatov, the crowd was shocked. Despite the initial setback, Frank Lampard pulled his side level in the 22nd minute, although Spurs were ahead again just six minutes later thanks to an own goal from Michael Essien.
To add insult to injury, Tottenham added a third before halftime when Hossam Ghaly got on the end of Aaron Lennon’s brilliant cross in the 36th minute. It looked like the north Londoners were heading for a historic win.
However, unwilling to see one of their biggest rivals progress to the semi-finals at their expense, Chelsea came out like a different team in the second half and showed why they were the side battling for a title.
Lampard scored his second of the game in the 71st minute before Salomon Kalou finally restored parity with his strike in the 86th minute. Tottenham were forced to settle for a replay a week later, but with their morale shattered, they lost that game 2-1, and Chelsea went on to win the whole thing two months later.
Then manager Jose Mourinho was delighted with how his team fought back, telling the BBC: “The team’s character, spirit and belief are very important.
“The players’ mentality was very, very good. We were almost out of the FA Cup when we were two goals down but at the end we are still in the competition.”
9
The Cockney Cup Final
1967 – Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea
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Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea
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Jimmy Robertson 40′
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Bobby Tambling 85′
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Frank Saul 67′
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We are going even further back for our next entry on the list, all the way back to the 1967 FA Cup Final, to be exact.
The final between Chelsea and Tottenham was the first FA Cup Final to be contested by two London teams and was nicknamed the Cockney Cup Final. It’s this game, a game watched by around 100,000 fans, that many credit the bitter rivalry between the two teams to.
The game itself wasn’t a particularly close affair, with Spurs finding themselves two goals to the good in the 67th minute and Chelsea not opening their account until the 85th minute.
We wonder what the relationship between the two sides would be like today had they not met in that final almost sixty years ago.
Read More: The Top 10 Greatest FA Cup Finals of All Time
8
A goal line scandal crushes Tottenham hopes
2012 – Chelsea 5-1 Tottenham
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Chelsea 5-1 Tottenham
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Didier Drogba 43′
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Gareth Bale56′
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Juan Mata 49′
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Ramires 77′
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Frank Lampard 81′
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Florent Malouda 90′
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It’s hard to take a refereeing mistake against your team at the best of times, but it’s a whole other kettle of fish in a semi-final. Unfortunately for Spurs, this is exactly what they had to deal with in the FA Cup semi-final match against Chelsea in 2012.
With the score 1-0 thanks to a 43-minute strike from Didier Drogba, Chelsea added a second through Spanish playmaker Juan Mata, except they didn’t, not really.
Mata’s shot didn’t actually cross the line, but with his view clearly compromised, referee Martin Atkinson still gave the West Londoners the goal anyway.
Gareth Bale pulled one back for the Lillywhites, but the damage was done, and the demoralised side shipped another three goals, ultimately losing 5-1.
In an interview after the game, Tottenham manager Harry Redknapp didn’t hide his feelings, saying: “Did he guess? He must have. He can’t have been sure.
“He’s just made a mistake, unfortunately. I spoke to him. He says he feels worse than I do. I said: “I don’t think so”. But he says he feels bad. He knows he’s made a mistake, and he says he’ll have a bad week as well.
“There’s nothing we can do now. The second goal was a disaster, nowhere near a goal. An honest mistake, but nowhere near over the line. I don’t see how he can give it.”
7
Chelsea deny Spurs an all north London FA Cup Final
2017 – Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham
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Chelsea 4-2 Tottenham
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Willian 5′
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Harry Kane 18′
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Willian 43′ Penalty
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Dele Alli 52′
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Eden Hazard 75′
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Nemanja Matić 80′
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With Tottenham’s trophy drought reaching almost a decade in 2017, fans were pinning all their hopes on the team’s run in the FA Cup; the only problem was that Chelsea lay in their way in the semi-final.
Going into the game, Chelsea were clear favourites as they were on the cusp of winning the league, while Spurs languished around fifth place, ultimately missing out on the Champions League.
However, league position mattered little once the game started as Spurs gave as good as they got for large parts of the game. The Blues opened the scoring in the fifth minute through Willian, but Spurs equalised just 13 minutes later through Harry Kane.
Chelsea then took the lead in the 43rd minute, once again through Willian, and just like with the first goal, Tottenham responded quickly with a 52nd-minute goal from Dele Alli.
However, while the Lilywhites fought valiantly, the quality of Chelsea finally shone through, and a 75th-minute goal from Hazard, followed by a thunderbolt from Nemanja Matic five minutes later, sealed the victory for the Blues and robbed Tottenham of the chance to play Arsenal in an FA Cup final.
Read More: Eden Hazard’s Greatest Career Moments
6
Alli and Eriksen help Spurs to break unwanted record
2018 Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham
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Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham
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Alvaro Morata 30′
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Christian Eriksen 45′
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Dele Alli 62′
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Dele Alli 66′
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When Spurs travelled to Stamford Bridge on April 1st 2018, most fans of the club would have been happy with a point, not because the Blues were miles better than them or anything like that, but simply because Tottenham had not won a game at the ground in 28 years.
So, when Alvaro Morata opened the scoring in the 30th minute, most fans sort of expected the game to once again go Chelsea’s way. However, a 45th-minute equalizer from Christian Eriksen once again injected some life into the encounter.
With the scores level, it would take Tottenham’s Dele Alli to break the deadlock, which he did in style.
Within the space of four minutes, the Englishman had tripled his side’s score and given them that elusive away win at Stamford Bridge.
5
Chelsea extend Spurs' trophy drought
2015 – Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
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Chelsea 2-0 Tottenham
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John Terry 45′
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Diego Costa 56′
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Six years after Tottenham’s previous League Cup Final appearance and seven after they last faced Chelsea in the showpiece event, they again faced off against the Pensioners for the title in March 2015.
However, unlike last time, it was the Blues that emerged victorious, and it wasn’t particularly close, either.
Chelsea took the lead on the stroke of halftime as Terry pounced on a deflected shot before Costa added a second in the 56th minute, although the Spaniard’s shot came off of Kyle Walker’s back before going into the net.
4
Harry Kane brace welcomes in the Pochettino era
2015 – Tottenham 5-3 Chelsea
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Tottenham 5-3 Chelsea
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Harry Kane 30′
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Diego Costa 18′
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Danny Rose 44′
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Eden Hazard 61′
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Andros Townsend 45′ Penalty
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John Terry 87′
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Harry Kane 52′
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Nacer Chadli 78′
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Going into their encounter on January 1st, 2015, Tottenham had not beaten their West London opponents in the Premier League for almost five years.
So, there was an expectation that new boss Pochettino was about to suffer the same fate as the men before him: a home loss to the Blues.
However, the Argentinian and his band of attacking players had other ideas.
Despite the visitors taking an early lead through an 18th-minute Diego Costa goal, the Lillywhites were 4-1 up after just 52 minutes.
The Blues did fight back with a 61st-minute strike from Hazard, but a fifth Spurs goal in the 78th minute secured the win for the hosts and rendered John Terry’s 87th-minute goal nothing more than a consolation.
3
Woodgate wins the League Cup
2008 – Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea
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Tottenham 2-1 Chelsea
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Dimitar Berbatov 70′ Penalty
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Didier Drogba 39′
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Jonathan Woodgate 94′
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Now, most of the cup games on this list have gone the way of the Blues, but the 2008 League Cup Final is a game that is remembered very fondly in N17 and remains the club’s most recent trophy.
Going into the game, Spurs were understandably the underdogs given Chelsea’s recent successes, but that didn’t seem to phase the players at all, as even when they went a goal down in the 39th minute, they never once gave in.
It would be a 70th-minute Dimitar Berbatov penalty that brought the Lilywhites level, and with the game going to extra time, it felt inevitable that more penalties would be required to find a winner.
That was until Jonathan Woodgate stood up.
The former Real Madrid defender was the only one to get his head to a freekick in the Chelsea box, and while Petr Cech got a glove to the ball, it bounced back into Woodgate’s head and into the Blues’ goal.
It might not have been the prettiest way to win a final, but it was effective and gave Spurs fans a brilliant day out in northwest London.
2
White Hart Lane thriller derails Chelsea's title hopes
2008 Tottenham 4-4 Chelsea
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Tottenham 4-4 Chelsea
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Jonathan Woodgate 12′
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Didier Drogba 3′
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Dimitar Berbatov 61′
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Michael Essien 20′
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Tom Huddlestone 75′
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Joe Cole 52′
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Robbie Keane 88′
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Joe Cole 80′
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Chelsea travelled to White Hart Lane in April 2008 in the midst of an intense title race with Manchester United and, as such, could not afford to drop a single point.
Unfortunately for them, Spurs were well up for the challenge and still coming off the high of their League Cup triumph just a month before.
In an attempt to silence the crowd, Chelsea found the back of the net in just the third minute but only held the lead for nine minutes before Woodgate, the hero of the previous month’s final, levelled the score.
However, this parity lasted just eight minutes as Michael Essien once again fired the Blues in front.
The visitors doubled their lead after the break when Joe Cole found the back of the net, but not happy to just watch, Tottenham once again levelled the score thanks to Berbatov and Tom Huddlestone.
With ten minutes to go, Chelsea once again found themselves ahead thanks to a second goal from Cole, but just as they had the previous three times, the hosts found an equaliser, this time through Robbie Keane, who fired home a brilliant long-range effort in the 88th minute.
While the draw did little for Tottenham come the end of the season, it cost Chelsea the title as they finished the campaign two points off United in top spot.