Few cities can claim to have as many professional football clubs as London. England's capital city has more than its fair share of teams in the Premier League. Although London clubs, and their rivalry, aren't found only in England's top flight.
The entire professional football pyramid is stacked with London-based teams, all teeming with history and heritage. Like all clubs throughout the United Kingdom, support for them has been passed down from generation to generation. This has created tradition and passion, not to mention a great sense of fierce rivalry.
Local derbies are often very keenly anticipated games. Football fans will be familiar with the fiercest rivalries in the world of football. This rivalry is alive and well in London. The number of derbies changes with promotion and relegation, but with more than 15 clubs in the Premier and Football League, the City of London is prime for hotly contested local derbies.
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10 Chelsea vs Fulham
First game between sides: 1910
Chelsea vs Fulham
Fulham are often stereotyped as a friendly little west London club on the banks of the Thames. That may be partially true, but they tend to get their dander up when they play their west London rivals Chelsea. There are only two miles between Stamford Bridge and Craven Cottage, yet until the 21st century, they went 16 years without facing each other.
In the 1985 League Cup tie between the two, Kerry Dixon gave Chelsea a 1-0 win. By the time the two drew 1-1 in the Premier League in 2001, Chelsea had internationally recognised players like Gianfranco Zola. This game was also the first time the two sides had met in England's top division for 34 years. The previous occasion was a 2-2 draw in 1967.
9 Chelsea vs Queens Park Rangers
First game between sides: 1968
Objects thrown at Chelsea players at Loftus Road
Between the 1970s and 1990s, Chelsea and Queens Park Rangers faced each other regularly. For most of those three decades, the latter had a pretty good record. Between 1973 and 1993, Chelsea won only six out of 30 games they played against one another.
The peak of this Rangers dominance came in 1986 when Chelsea lost 6-0 at Loftus Road. More recently, there have been incidents between players and supporters. In 2015, Chelsea's Branislav Ivanovic was hit on the head with a lighter thrown from the crowd. This happened after Chelsea got a late winning goal.
8 Charlton Athletic vs Crystal Palace
First game between sides: 1925
Crystal Palace vs Charlton
Charlton Athletic versus Crystal Palace is a keenly contested south London derby. In the late 1980s, Charlton had serious financial problems, leading them to move out of their ground and become a tenant at Palace’s Selhurst Park. On first look, this would appear to be a neighbourly act.
However, many Charlton supporters claim that the powers that be at Palace continued to raise the rent for Charlton. Palace, on the other hand, say they were in a similarly precarious position and were in no position to hand out freebies. There have been some sordid scenes involving fans.
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In 2007, a group of Crystal Palace fans went on a violent rampage through a train targeting Charlton fans. Several of the group were handed prison sentences of up to five years. The two sides have not met since a 2015 League Cup tie in which Palace won 4-1.
7 Tottenham v West Ham
First game between sides: 1898
Spurs vs West Ham
As recently as 2021, fighting broke out between Spurs and West Ham supporters. The two sides have been playing each other since the 1800s. That first meeting between the two was a 3-0 Spurs win in 1898 in the Thames and Medway League. West Ham fans won’t like to hear this, but Spurs have beaten the Irons more than 100 times over the years.
The two sides had some cracking encounters in the 1960s. This was the decade Spurs won the league and cup and double. West Ham had Bobby Moore, Geoff Hurst and Martin Peters, who were so integral in England winning the 1966 World Cup. Dave Mackay, one of Spurs's greatest ever, scored a hat trick in a 4-4 draw in 1962. Harry Redknapp got one of West Ham’s goals when they beat Spurs 4-1 at White Hart Lane in 1966.
6 West Ham vs Chelsea
First game between sides: 1923
Chelsea vs West Ham
Chelsea against West Ham has always been an explosive fixture. Frank Lampard got a frosty reception on his return to Upton Park when in a Chelsea shirt. In 2016, the Football Association launched an investigation into crowd trouble between the two sides in a League Cup game. At the final whistle, objects such as coins were reported to have been thrown at Chelsea supporters.
On the field, it has not been unusual for this to be a bad-tempered game on the field. In 2015, both clubs were fined for their reaction to the red card Nemanja Matic received. The 1980s were a source of several clashes between fans of the two clubs. This seems to have carried through to the present day, to make games between the two clubs a terse affair.
5 Arsenal v Chelsea
First game between sides: 1907
Chelsea vs Arsenal
Arsenal against Chelsea seemed to be a particularly tetchy affair when Jose Mourinho was Chelsea's boss and Arsene Wenger was in charge at Arsenal. The two got involved in pushing and shoving at Stamford Bridge in 2014 when the Frenchman was alleged to have started things. Mourinho didn’t seem to waste an opportunity to criticise the Gunners' manager, once calling him a specialist in failure. This certainly spiced things up between the two sides.
Although Arsenal have a rich heritage, Chelsea have won all three European trophies. They have also won the Champions League twice, something Arsenal have yet to do. On the field, things have got heated. In 2007, both sides were charged with misconduct for a mass brawl in the League Cup final, which saw Arsenal’s Kolo Toure and Emmanuel Adebayor and Chelsea's John Obi Mikel sent off.
4 Millwall v Crystal Palace
First game between sides: 1921
Crystal Palace v Millwall
Given Millwall have yet to reach the Premier League, their encounters with Crystal Palace have been outside the top flight. Often, referees have shown a more lenient nature, which is code for allowing lumps to be kicked out of one another. Given the invitation, both teams have happily obliged. Despite not ever gaining top-flight status, many have testified what a scary place Millwall is to play at.
There have been many aggressive encounters between the two sides. In 2022, a 20-year-old Michael Olise scored an excellent Palace leveller, before setting up the winner in an FA Cup game. Millwall supporters appeared to throw objects on the pitch at the celebrating Palace players. During the televised game, ITV were forced to apologise for obscene language picked up by the broadcaster's microphones.
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3 Chelsea v Spurs
First game between sides: 1909
Spurs v Chelsea
The rivalry between Chelsea and Spurs came to an ugly head in 2016. Still very much in the chasing pack to win the Premier League, Spurs went to Stamford Bridge very much needing a win. The game went on to become known as the Battle of the Bridge, with Chelsea frustrating Spurs in what has become one of the dirtiest games in Premier League history.
Spurs went 2-0 up. But a late Danny Rose tackle on Willian sparked a brawl in which Mousa Dembele eye-gouged Chelsea striker Diego Costa. The incident seemed to awaken Chelsea, who came out in the second half fired up. An inspired performance by Eden Hazard saw Chelsea come back and draw, ending the title hopes of Spurs.
2 Arsenal v Spurs
First game between sides: 1896
Arsenal v Spurs
Arsenal vs Tottenham has always been a big north London derby, with the origins of the fixture going back all the way to the 19th century. The intensity between the two was turned up a few notches when Sol Campbell moved from Spurs to Arsenal in 2001. This is seen as one of the most controversial signings of all time, with his return to White Hart Lane in an Arsenal shirt a particularly spicy affair.
Ray Parlour has said it was the scariest and most intimidating match he’d ever been involved in. The game ended 2-2, but there was a poisonous atmosphere at the ground that has probably not been matched again when the two sides met.
1 West Ham v Millwall
First game between sides: 1899
West Ham v Millwall
Originally, Millwall were formed in 1899 on the Isle of Dogs in East London. While West Ham began life as Thames Ironworks, only three miles away. Both players and supporters often compete for the same work. So began a rivalry.
In the 1920s, things turned nasty. East End workers observed the strike. They were mostly West Ham fans. Millwall Millwall-supporting shipyard workers of the Isle of Dogs took a different tact, refusing their support and causing outrage. Things weren’t much better in the 1960s and 70s when fights would often break out between the two sides. When the two face now, there is always a heightened police presence.
Fortunately for those living near both grounds, the two have seldom met over recent decades. They have only encountered each other seven times this century, with the last game being a 2-1 West Ham win in the Championship in 2012.
All stats courtesy of Transfermarkt. Correct as of 06/12/24.