London is the birthplace of many successful football clubs that have left their mark even on the international scale. But these clubs share a bitter rivalry amongst themselves. From time to time these rivalries are a reason for many high-scoring thriller matches. Here are the top 5 highest scoring London derby matchups.
5. Chelsea vs Crystal Palace
One of the most popular London Derby, Chelsea vs Crystal Palace rivalry dates back to the last Century. The head-to-head stats show that Chelsea is the dominant figure. However, Crystal Palace is also a team not to be taken lightly as they have given us many spectacular performances multiple times.
This rivalry has given birth to many hard-fought battles. One of those date back to March 1998. The two teams played an 8-goal thriller match in the Premier League match. Although the outcome was 6-2 in Chelsea’s favor, the Eagles put up a good fight.
Chelsea’s victory was immutable seeing the player’s form. Everyone was surprised when Crystal started off with a goal in the 7th minute of the game. However, they could not continue this momentum. Gianfranco Zola scored the first goal for Chelsea 10 minutes later. It was all uphill from here for Chelsea. Vialli bagged a brace before the half-time whistle and gave Chelsea a 3-1 halftime lead.
The second half was comparatively slow until Dennis Wise scored the goal and Chelsea were 4-1 up, thrashing the hopes of all the Crystal fans. Marcus Bent scored for Crystal in the 87th minute but this didn’t help much as it was a very long road ahead of them. To top that off Andre Flo scored a brace in the last two minutes of the game.
4. Arsenal vs Chelsea
Also called the Nort West London Derby, this matchup between the two most popular teams from the region is always mesmerizing to watch. Their rivalry grew over time as these teams played more and more matches against each other.
Both the teams are top tier and have won multiple titles in their past. However, when Arsenal went to play Chelsea on their home ground, The Gunners won the nail-biting 8-goal match. It would have been an equal fight if not for Van Persie’s exceptional performance for Arsenal.
It was a good start for Chelsea when Lampard scored the first goal of the match in the 14th minute. However, Persie canceled it out by scoring 20 minutes later. The halftime ended with John Terry’s last-minute goal giving Chelsea a 2-1 lead.
Yet, Andre Santos scored the 2-2 equalizer for Arsenal followed by Theo Walcott’s goal in the 55th minute. Arsenal was a goal up until Juan Mata hit an equalizer and all the fans in the Stamford Bridge started getting their hopes up. However, who would have known that Van Persie would have gone God mode and scored two more goals before the long whistle, crushing all the hopes of Chelsea supporters.
3. Charlton Athletic vs Arsenal
In a Premier League matchup of 2000/01 season, these two teams came against each other for an 8-goal thriller in Arsenal’s home stadium. Although there exists not much concrete rivalry, coming from the same region there exists a little competition to become the best in the region.
Although in most of their clashes, Arsenal has the upper hand, this matchup was almost an equal exchange for most of the playtime. Arsenal got an explosive start as Vieira scored the opening goal in the 19th minute. However, Andy Hunt not only gave his team an equalizer but also the lead by scoring two back-to-back goals.
The end of halftime marked a 2-1 lead for the away team. Even so, Henry scored the equalizer instantly as the second half started. However, Graham Stuart scored a goal in the 58th minute to give his team the lead. But they couldn’t maintain it for long as The Gunners scored three back-to-back goals. Henry and Vieira both bagged a brace for themselves. The “Cherry on top” goal was scored by Sylvinho at the second last minute.
2. Chelsea vs Tottenham Spur
Starting from the 1967 FA Cup Final, Chelsea and Tottenham Spur became destined rivals. The atmosphere in the stadium when these two most successful clubs from the region collide is fierce. Many a time these clashes get out of hand and become violent in nature amongst the supporters.
On 20th March 2008, Chelsea went over to White Hart Lane for a Premier League match. It was an 8 goal thriller that ended up in a draw. It was an equal exchange of skills throughout the match.
Three minutes into the game, Drogba scored the opening goal for Chelsea. To which Jonathan Woodgate instantly replied with an equalizer at the 12th minute. Essien flicked the ball into Spur’s goalpost to give Chelsea a 2-1 lead.
In the initial second half, Joe Cole scored a goal increasing his team’s lead to 3-1. However, the Spurs made a comeback and tied the scoreline to 3-3 where Dimitar Berbatov and Tom Huddlestone were the goalscorers. Joe Cole beat the goalkeeper with his incredible dribble and scored the stress-relieving goal for his team. Anyways this was not the end as Robbie Keane scored the equalizer just two minutes prior to the 90-minute mark and Joe Cole’s brace went in vain.
1. Tottenham Spur vs Arsenal
Referred to as the North London derby, the collision of these two most successful clubs from the North is one of the fiercest rivalries. Their supporters have always been on each other’s bitter sides.
Destined to fight each other in a Premier League match on 13 November 2004, Arsenal walked into Spur’s White Hart Lane to conquer them. It was a nail-biting 9 goals thriller matchup. However the result turned out to be on Arsenal’s side, Spurs did put up a show to remember.
The first half was pretty slow and steady. However, Noureddine Naybet broke the silence by scoring the opening goal for his team. Henry replied back with an equalizer just before the short whistle.
Ten minutes into the second half, Lauren was awarded a penalty which he did not let go of. To make it even more joyful Vieira scored another goal to give Arsenal a 3-1 lead in the game. From here it was an equal exchange of goals from both sides in which The Spurs scored 3 more goals while The Gunners scored another 2 goals to end up with a scoreline of 5-4.
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