Chelsea host Tottenham Hotspur on Thursday in the next instalment of a fixture that has produced countless memorable moments. Football writer Adrian Kajumba looks back at some of the standout matches, goals, incidents and individual performances from their meetings during the Premier League era.
Seven-goal thriller - December 2024
Expectations were high when Spurs and Chelsea met at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium earlier this season and the London derby did not disappoint.
The two rivals shared seven goals in a see-saw classic, one in which Chelsea recovered from going 2-0 down, after two costly Marc Cucurella slips, to win 4-3.
The most memorable moment of all was the one that proved to be the winning goal - Cole Palmer’s Panenka penalty.
After scoring one spot-kick to make it 2-2 and brilliantly setting up Enzo Fernandez to make it 3-2, Chelsea’s talisman Palmer earned the chance to make it 4-2 when he was fouled to win an 84th-minute penalty.
It was a high-stakes moment, though you would not have known it when Palmer nonchalantly strode up and chipped Fraser Forster to all but seal victory for Chelsea.
Chelsea capitalise on chaos - November 2023
The rivals' first meeting of 2023/24 featured one of the managers returning to his former club.
But Mauricio Pochettino’s first reunion with Spurs, after he was appointed Chelsea head coach ahead of the 2023/24 season, was eventually overshadowed by the crazy game that unfolded, one of the most eventful in Premier League history.
Spurs had won eight of their first 10 league matches under new head coach Ange Postecoglou.
They looked set to continue their form when Dejan Kulusevski gave them an early lead but their night and brilliant start to the season soon began to unravel.
Palmer equalised with a penalty which was awarded after Cristian Romero’s red-card foul on Fernandez. Spurs then lost three more key players - Micky Van de Ven and James Maddison to injury, plus Destiny Udogie who joined Romero in being dismissed.
Despite being reduced to nine men, Postecoglou refused to alter his high-line approach and was almost rewarded for his bravery and defiance which was acknowledged by Spurs fans.
But Chelsea finally worked out how to exploit all the space behind their opponents' defence and Nicolas Jackson scored a late hat-trick to clinch a 4-1 win.
The game also featured five disallowed goals, 11 VAR checks and 21 minutes of added time.
Tuchel and Conte clash - August 2022
An already dramatic match was made unforgettable by the clash between rival managers Thomas Tuchel and Antonio Conte at the final whistle.
Tempers had been rising on the touchline as the contest unfolded.
The first sign of the storm to come was when Tuchel and Conte were booked after a confrontation in the wake of Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg’s equaliser to make it 1-1.
That goal was allowed to stand despite Chelsea appealing for a foul on Kai Havertz in the build-up.
Tuchel then sprinted past ex-Chelsea manager Conte and the Spurs bench to celebrate Reece James's goal that put the hosts 2-1 up.
But Spurs had the final say when Harry Kane levelled six minutes into stoppage time to deny Chelsea a deserved win. Again Chelsea were aggrieved, that a foul on Cucurella was overlooked shortly before Spurs scored.
The most controversial moment of the afternoon was, however, still to come. The managers’ full-time handshake, when Tuchel refused to let go of his counterpart after appearing to take exception to Conte not looking him in the eye, sparked more unsavoury scenes. Both men were sent off and charged by the FA.
Alli’s double inspires Spurs to historic away win - April 2018
As well as the title, that 2016 comeback also denied Spurs one of their best chances of ending their long wait for a league win at Chelsea.
Finally, though, their hoodoo finally came to an end two years later.
An impressive comeback earned Spurs a historic 3-1 triumph, their first victory at Stamford Bridge since February 1990 - 28 years earlier.
After falling behind to Alvaro Morata’s header, Christian Eriksen drew Spurs level with a stunning, dipping strike from long range.
But Dele Alli stole the headlines with a quick-fire second-half double just after the hour.
Spurs’ triumph was crucial that season, as well as historic. They were competing with Chelsea for a top-four spot in 2017/18 and their trip to the Bridge was decisive at the time with Spurs kicking off five points ahead of their rivals.
The gap was up to eight points at full-time and was ultimately too big for Chelsea to close. They finished the season in fifth and Spurs clinched third spot.
Battle of the Bridge - May 2016
Few matches sum up the animosity in this rivalry better than the one that became known as the 'Battle of the Bridge'. Spurs travelled to Chelsea nine years ago needing a win to keep their title hopes alive.
But, despite having nothing to play for themselves after their poor title defence, Chelsea were hell-bent on preventing their opponents succeeding them as Premier League champions.
Some of Chelsea’s players, including midfielder Cesc Fabregas, even publicly declared their preference for Leicester City to win the title over Spurs, adding spice to the late-season derby.
Initially at Stamford Bridge, all was going well for Spurs when they established a 2-0 half-time lead through goals from Kane and Son Heung-min.
However, as Chelsea staged a fight-back, capped by Eden Hazard’s iconic equaliser, to earn a 2-2 draw that ended Spurs’ title hopes, the match also descended into disciplinary chaos.
Flashpoints broke out all over the pitch, during the match and after the full-time whistle, as tensions rose and eventually boiled over. Twelve players were booked, including a record nine from Spurs, and both managers were caught up in the drama.
Spurs head coach Pochettino entered the pitch to split up Danny Rose and Willian while Chelsea interim manager Guus Hiddink was knocked over during a post-match melee.
FA charges inevitably followed for both clubs with Spurs midfielder Mousa Dembele also receiving a six-match ban for violent conduct. The final outcome was one they would rather forget but events on the night ensured this game will live long in the memory.
Kane announces himself to the world - January 2015
The goals had already started to flow regularly for Kane in a Spurs shirt but his New Year's Day display against Chelsea was the one that made everyone really stand up and take note.
The Blues were Premier League leaders en route to regaining the title, had the division’s best defensive record and a backline with seasoned duo John Terry and Gary Cahill at the heart of it.
But Kane gave them a torrid time with a masterclass performance to inspire Spurs to a 5-3 victory, their first win over Chelsea in almost five years.
Kane scored two brilliantly-taken goals, won the penalty that Andros Townsend converted, and also set up Spurs’ fifth goal, scored by Nacer Chadli.
Kane’s manager Mauricio Pochettino said: "We need to be careful with him, but we cannot hide him away." That became impossible after the young striker’s breakout Premier League performance against Chelsea.
Eight-goal thriller at White Hart Lane - March 2008
The two teams produced another rollercoaster Premier League classic just two weeks after they had met in the Carling Cup final.
Two of the scorers in the cup final got the goal fest underway when Didier Drogba and Jonathan Woodgate traded early strikes. Michael Essien and Joe Cole then scored to put Chelsea 3-1 up and in command.
But Dimitar Berbatov, another Wembley scorer, reduced the deficit before a fine finish from Tom Huddlestone drew Spurs level. Cole appeared to have won this breathless derby when he netted his second goal but there were still twists to come.
Firstly, Robbie Keane curled in a stunning 88th-minute equaliser to make it 4-4 after a clearance rebounded off Ricardo Carvalho’s back and fortunately into his path.
Spurs then had a huge chance to win the game but Carlo Cudicini denied Berbatov with a stunning save in stoppage time to leave Chelsea relieved not to lose a match they were minutes away from winning.
Spurs’ last trophy - February 2008
The passing of time has made what was an already major occasion between the two clubs 17 years ago even more significant.
The 2008 Carling Cup final between the two London clubs was the first League Cup showpiece played at the new Wembley Stadium.
It also has a special place in the history of this fixture as it remains the last time Spurs lifted silverware.
Chelsea were aiming to retain the trophy they won against Arsenal the previous season and were on course to do so after Drogba’s first-half free-kick.
But Berbatov's penalty took the game to extra time when Woodgate's header secured a famous victory for Spurs that would continue to be talked about for years.
Spurs end wait for a win over Chelsea - November 2006
A brilliant derby, featuring some outstanding individual contributions, finished with Spurs ending their 16-year wait for a league win against Chelsea.
Ledley King’s incredible recovery tackle to prevent Arjen Robben scoring was one of the first memorable moments of the match.
Unfortunately for Spurs, that led to a corner from which defensive midfielder Claude Makelele opened the scoring for the defending champions with a stunning volley.
Michael Dawson levelled with a perfectly-placed header to kick-start Spurs’ fightback, which was completed impressively by match-winner Aaron Lennon after Keane had bamboozled Chelsea defender Khalid Boulahrouz before crossing from the left.
Chelsea’s hopes of staging their own recovery were hit when Terry was sent off with 18 minutes left and Spurs held on to claim a famous win over their fierce rivals after 32 failed attempts.
Hasselbaink’s perfect hat-trick - March 2002
Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink loved facing Spurs, scoring 13 career goals against them - his joint-highest tally at the expense of a single club.
Twelve of those goals came in 11 matches for Chelsea, where he spent four seasons.
In the last of the five meetings between the clubs in 2001/02, the Dutchman was the undoubted star of the show.
Three days after Chelsea beat Spurs 4-0 in an FA Cup quarter-final, they repeated the scoreline in the Premier League, largely thanks to a perfect Hasselbaink hat-trick.
Either side of curling, long-range efforts with his right foot and left, striker Hasselbaink scored with a header on one of the most memorable nights of his career.
"When I was told after the match that I’d scored a "perfect hat-trick", I didn’t know what that was. I just thought a hat-trick was a hat-trick. But when they explained it, that made it very special too," Hasselbaink told FourFourTwo magazine.
"I think all the Spurs fans remember it. My lawyer is a big Spurs fan and he doesn’t like it when I speak about my record against them!"
