Summary
The games in England and Wales with the most fan arrests since 2019/20 have been named.
Chelsea appear four times inside the top ten.
One Aston Villa fixture was enough to take 6th spot.
While football is meant to be a sport that encourages a family atmosphere that is safe and inclusive for all, it is well known that this isn't always the case. There are plenty of examples where things go awry or get out of hand, especially when intense rivalries are involved.
The long and short of it is that sometimes, football matches can be an incredibly dangerous place to be and supporters being arrested is something that happens all too frequently. However, some carry more risks than others, and the experts at SeatPick have managed to collect data from the 2019/20 season onwards to find out which games across England and Wales have led to the most fan arrests, with one inclusion in the top 10 making it despite the fact the two teams have only met once during this period.
English Teams With Most Pitch Invasions Over the Last Five Seasons
Rank
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=15.
=13.
=13.
=11.
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10 Bolton vs Wigan Athletic
(=9) 40 fan arrests
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Moving further up the table and further up north, we head to Lancashire for the clashes between Bolton Wanderers and Wigan Athletic. Both were Premier League sides as recently as 15 years ago, but their most up-to-date meetings have seen them battling it out in League One in what some might refer to as the points deduction derby.
The two outfits have met a grand total of seven times since 2019, resulting in 40 supporters being arrested – an average of 5.7 per game. While that may not be as bad considering the number of contests there have been between the pair, it is still enough for them to make their way onto this list.
9 Chelsea vs West Ham United
(=9) 40 fan arrests
West Ham United's Aaron Wan-Bissaka in action with Chelsea's Jadon Sancho
Given that West Ham fans are routinely among the highest for arrests in most seasons across the board, it is not a surprise to see them appear in the top 10 in some fashion. Their rivalry with Chelsea is intense to the point where, aside from Millwall, you would imagine fans may want to cause carnage the most when the Blues come to town.
It's not just about location either, as the transfers of Joe Cole and Frank Lampard also have a part to play in why the relationship between the two sets of fans is so intense. As a result, their meetings over the last five years have also led to 40 arrests.
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8 Liverpool vs Manchester City
43 fan arrests
Virgil van Dijk Erling Haaland Liverpool vs Man City
An example of where modern-day competition forms a rivalry as strong as some that are based purely on location, 20 years ago, there wouldn't have been much animosity between Manchester City and Liverpool considering that they were both competing at two different ends of the Premier League table.
Now, though, there is often very little to separate the two sides, and as such, the intensity levels brought to their games against one another are at an all-time high. That's not just on the pitch either, it's also in the stands as fans passionately defend their respective badges in pursuit of glory. The title-dependent battles the two teams have engaged in over the last five years have led to 43 fan arrests, with lockdown preventing it from being even closer to 50, perhaps.
7 Cambridge United vs Peterborough United
44 fan arrests
Arguably a lesser-known derby to neutrals, but those who sit on the blue or amber side of the fence are fully aware of just how important the Cambridgeshire derby is to fans. Often played in the lower leagues of the English pyramid, battles between Cambridge United and Peterborough United – managed by Sir Alex Ferguson's son Darren – can be feisty affairs.
While it may not be seen as an area full of violence, there have been a grand total of 44 arrests when the two teams have met in recent seasons, with nine meetings taking place during the specified time period.
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6 Aston Villa vs Legia Warsaw
46 fan arrests
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This is a match that stands out on this list, because Legia Warsaw have only made the trip to Aston Villa once in their history, but even though they lost 2-1 on the pitch, they more than made their impact known off it. While other teams higher up in the rankings can at least say the arrests have been spread across multiple fixtures, all 46 of these came on the 30th November 2023.
The area surrounding Villa Park was left in complete ruin after the disorderly conduct by fans on that fateful evening. For so much unrest to take place that it earns a spot purely on its own takes some doing.
5 Chelsea vs Manchester City
52 fan arrests
Manchester City's Jack Grealish and Kyle Walker argue with Chelsea's Axel Disasi
The "moneybags match" is what some people might refer to this as, given both Chelsea and City's willingness to splash the cash in order to boost their squads. As a result of this, there may be the assumption that the clash would lose a bit of its soul and intensity on the pitch, but it certainly hasn't been lost off it.
While City have been consistent and the Blues have been rather topsy-turvy over this period, they have still played out some cracking ties and even faced off in a Champions League final. However, the high stakes have led to some big fallouts, with more than half a century of fans getting arrested following games between the Premier League giants.
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4 Chelsea vs Tottenham
56 fan arrests
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Who can forget some of the fiery matchups that Chelsea and Tottenham have had in recent times? It has certainly been filled with animosity and drama. Whether it be Spurs going down to nine men in Ange Postecoglou's first experience of the fixture, or the infamous 'Battle of the Bridge,' these two know how to bring war to one another.
A large part of this is fuelled by the energy in the stadium from the two sets of supporters, it seems. Since 2019/2020, 56 fan arrests have been made in games involving the London outfits - 27 of those being for public disorder and 18 being for violent clashes. This earns it a place inside the top four, even if the two teams struggle to make the Premier League's upper echelons.
3 Chelsea vs Liverpool
57 fan arrests
Dominik Szoboszlai for Liverpool against Chelsea
A third entry in a row for Chelsea, and this time it is Liverpool who they lock horns with. Again, this is a rivalry that has grown over the years thanks to the competitive nature of the two sides as opposed to location. It was largely sparked by Roman Abramovich and Jose Mourinho.
Yet, years on from this, the animosity still remains between the two sets of supporters, and there have been as many as 57 arrests, which is only bettered by two of the biggest derbies in English football.
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2 Arsenal vs Tottenham
(=1) 65 fan arrests
Arsenal and Tottenham
Consider no one shocked that the North London derby is featured at the very top. It is widely understood just how deep the issues between Arsenal and Tottenham go as they battle for supremacy in the nation's capital. There are very few, if any, derbies bigger in English football, and as a result, there is often pandemonium in the stands.
All in all, there have been 65 arrests made since the 2019/20 season, an average of 13 per campaign. Yet, it is not enough for this fixture to stand alone at the top spot, as it must share the spoils.
1 Manchester United vs Manchester City
(=1) 65 fan arrests
Manchester City's Josko Gvardiol in action with Manchester United's Bruno Fernandes
A city full of working-class people, where both sets of fans have witnessed the opposing team dominate English and European football while they are left to flounder. Of course, it is the Manchester derby. City have gone from noisy neighbours to rulers of the kingdom, and after years of playing second fiddle, their fans are bound to gloat about it.
As for United, they are undergoing one of the most difficult periods in their history, but still demand greatness, or at least their passion to be matched on the field. More often than not though, it isn't, and that, combined with the celebrating City supporters, can be a recipe for disaster.
All statistics courtesy of 11v11 and SeatPick - accurate as of 03/04/2025.