Eleven of the most memorable moments in Chelsea v Arsenal history

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We've selected iconic incidents and matches between the clubs, ahead of Sunday's game at Stamford Bridge

It's derby day on Sunday when Chelsea host Arsenal in the latest instalment of a rivalry steeped in drama, sensational goals and more. Here, football writer Adrian Kajumba selects some of the most memorable moments so far.

Nketiah's double at Stamford Bridge - April 2022

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta made a big call in selecting Eddie Nketiah ahead of out-of-sorts Alexandre Lacazette in Arsenal's attack, and the move paid off with the academy graduate scoring twice.

The Gunners' character in the battle for a top-four finish had been called into question after a run of three consecutive defeats, but with Nketiah in inspired form, they answered those doubts emphatically.

Nketiah took advantage of Andreas Christensen's weak back pass with a composed finish after 17 minutes, and in a chaotic opening half Timo Werner equalised four minutes later. Emile Smith Rowe then fired Arsenal ahead for a second time, but Cesar Azpilicueta equalised once again.

Watch: Nketiah's double against Chelsea

Arsenal, and Nketiah, took centre stage after the break with the young striker pouncing on a series of defensive errors in the Blues' box after 57 minutes.

Bukayo Saka's stoppage-time penalty put the seal on this six-goal thriller to condemn Chelsea to their third successive home defeat.

Europa League final - May 2019 

A Premier League and London rivalry was transferred to the European stage when Chelsea and Arsenal met in the UEFA Europa League final in Baku, Azerbaijan.

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Europa League specialist Unai Emery, who had won the tournament three times previously with Sevilla, was in charge at Arsenal in the competition’s first final between two clubs from the same city.

But it was Maurizio Sarri who claimed the trophy. The Italian's heart-warming reaction to winning his first major honour as a manager, in his final match in charge of Chelsea, was one of the night's abiding memories.

Watch: Sarri celebrates his first trophy

N’Golo Kante overcoming pre-match fears of a knee injury to produce a typically tireless display was another, as Chelsea overcame Arsenal 4-1. An impressive second-half display featured strikes from Olivier Giroud against his old club, Pedro, and Eden Hazard, who netted twice. Alex Iwobi scored Arsenal's consolation goal.

On what also proved to be a night of farewells, Sarri, who joined Juventus, was not the only one signing off after the final.

Hazard announced he would be leaving Chelsea ahead of his move to Real Madrid, while the defeat was also the final game of Arsenal goalkeeper Petr Cech’s career, in which he served both clubs with distinction.

Eden Hazard's solo goal - February 2017 

After a 2015/16 season that left him feeling “like a ghost”, Hazard burst back into life and enjoyed his best time at Chelsea in the following campaign under Antonio Conte. The Belgian's goal against Arsenal was one of his many magic moments.

Picking the ball up just inside his own half, Hazard tricked past Laurent Koscielny, shrugged off Francis Coquelin until he fell to the floor, beat Koscielny once more and fired the ball into the net beyond the despairing dives of defender Shkodran Mustafi and goalkeeper Cech. 

"I scored a few beautiful goals but this one is special because it is against Arsenal and we won the game," said Hazard. "It’s always special to score against them."

Watch: All the angles of Hazard's goal


Hazard's brilliant individual effort, which helped Chelsea to a 3-1 victory that put them 12 points clear at the top, was a perfect example of the Belgian at his peak - too good for all challengers, just as the Blues were in winning the 2016/17 title.

Wenger's 1,000th match - March 2014

What should have been a day to remember turned into one to forget for Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger.

Rather than being a celebration, his 1,000th match ended in humiliation against his old foe Jose Mourinho as the Gunners suffered their heaviest-ever defeat against Chelsea.

Arsenal trailed 2-0 inside seven minutes; 10 minutes later, they were three goals behind and a man down, after Kieran Gibbs was sent off in a case of mistaken identity. They finished the match on the end of a 6-0 thumping.


After Arsenal's 6-3 and 5-1 defeats at Manchester City and Liverpool respectively in the same 2013/14 season, this was another hefty loss to add to the list, and one that prompted a press conference no-show from Wenger. 

"It was a nightmare and I take full responsibility for it," he told the BBC. "It’s one of the worst days in my career."

And not one easily erased. 

Mourinho once joked: "The only thing that Arsene Wenger cannot forget is his match number 1,000."

And even Jurgen Klopp referred to it, after avoiding a similar fate when he reached the same managerial milestone with a 0-0 draw against Chelsea in January 2023.

"Arsene Wenger lost his 1,000th game 6-0 so I'm really happy that didn't happen," he said. 

Wenger and Mourinho's touchline spat - October 2014 

The animosity between Mourinho and Wenger finally boiled over when they clashed on the touchline in October 2014.

In an unforgettable flashpoint, following a Gary Cahill foul on Alexis Sanchez, Wenger confronted and shoved Mourinho while being told to go back to his own technical area. 

They had already been chipping away at each other for a decade. Earlier that year, Mourinho called Wenger "a specialist in failure", in response to the Arsenal boss claiming Chelsea were playing down their title prospects due to a fear of failing.

After their touchline spat, they did not shake hands. Wenger insisted he had only given Mourinho "a little shove" and would be happy to demonstrate a real one if required.

Watch: Wenger and Mourinho clash

The Arsenal manager did show some remorse later, admitting "that was basically me losing control" and "it’s not a way to behave on a football field."

Brushing it off as "no problem", Mourinho opted against making too big an issue of the incident. 

On this occasion he did not need to. His team did the talking for him, winning 2-0 with Cesc Fabregas - on his first appearance for Chelsea against the club he used to captain - setting up Diego Costa for the second goal.

In the process, the Blues extended Mourinho's unbeaten run against Wenger to 12 matches. 

Robin van Persie’s hat-trick - October 2011 

During four seasons between 2010 and 2014, Robin van Persie reached his peak - and one of his very best days came in an eventful match at Chelsea when he scored a memorable hat-trick to inspire Arsenal to a 5-3 win.

Lampard had put Chelsea 1-0 ahead early on before captain Van Persie scored Arsenal’s first equaliser. John Terry edged the home side ahead on half-time but Andre Santos and Theo Walcott turned the tables to put Arsenal 3-2 up, only for Juan Mata to bring Chelsea level at 3-3 with 10 minutes remaining.

Van Persie then added a further two late goals, including one when he memorably pounced on a slip by Blues skipper Terry, to turn a thrilling draw into an impressive 5-3 victory.

Watch: All the goals from Arsenal's 5-3 win at Stamford Bridge

After scoring only three goals in his first seven Premier League matches, the Dutchman’s form picked up significantly. During the second half of October, he reversed that statistic - netting seven times in three league games, including his hat-trick against Chelsea.

The goals kept coming as Van Persie finished 2011 with 35 goals, one short of Alan Shearer’s calendar-year record at the time. The Dutchman's 30 goals in the Premier League season secured him the 2011/12 Golden Boot award.

Didier Drogba’s Emirates free-kick - November 2009

When asked about his favourite goal against Arsenal, Didier Drogba's pick was his stunning free-kick in Chelsea’s 3-0 win at Emirates Stadium.

Already renowned for his prowess in the penalty area, Drogba remembers it as the moment people also started taking note of his ability from free-kicks after he smashed a long-range effort past Manuel Almunia

Drogba had plenty of options to pick from for his standout goal against Arsenal, having become their nemesis during his first Chelsea spell. He netted 13 goals in only 14 appearances against them in all competitions.

Having grown up supporting the Gunners, Drogba was always inspired when he faced them and his idol, Thierry Henry

Watch: Drogba's stunning free-kick (6mins 49secs)

He was further fired up when Arsenal manager Wenger attempted to downplay Drogba’s contribution in matches between the two teams. 

Wenger, though, was understandably happy to see the back of Drogba when he left Chelsea for the first time in 2012. 

"I don’t know if Chelsea will miss him - but we don’t miss him," Wenger said. "He did a lot of damage against us."

Michael Essien’s screamer - December 2006 

As well as being Ashley Cole's first reunion with Arsenal, this encounter was also memorable for the stunning Michael Essien goal which preserved Chelsea’s unbeaten Premier League home run.

They were in genuine danger of their record ending at 51 matches when Mathieu Flamini put Arsenal ahead in the 78th minute.

But just six minutes later, Essien let fly from 35 yards and beat Jens Lehmann, who had earlier been involved in a theatrical barging match with Drogba with a thunderbolt strike. The shot seemed to be heading wide but curled back in towards goal as it flew into the net.

Watch: Essien's wonder strike

Incredibly, the drama did not end there. Alexander Hleb missed a chance to win it for Arsenal before Essien and Frank Lampard both hit the woodwork for Chelsea.

Ashley Cole’s controversial move - August 2006

Cole was a trophy-winning product of Arsenal’s academy but he was equally synonymous with Chelsea by the end of his career, having moved across London in one of the Premier League's most controversial transfers.

The saga began in January 2005 when it emerged that a secret meeting had taken place about a potential move which landed all involved, including Cole, in trouble with the authorities.

Although the left-back signed a one-year contract extension in July 2005, he joined Chelsea the following summer with William Gallas heading in the opposite direction as part of the deal.

Arsenal’s attempts to secure Cole on a longer deal were a factor in his decision to move on. The England international revealed in his autobiography that he had been left "trembling with anger" and "nearly swerved off the road" when he was told Arsenal were offering him £55,000-per-week rather than £60,000.

Cole's eventual move to Stamford Bridge led to him being nicknamed "Cashley" by angry Arsenal fans and having fake notes with his face on waved in his direction when he faced his old club for the first time in December 2006.

He has since admitted the situation "hurt me more than anyone else" and said "that ill feeling from fans is still hard sometimes."

But professionally, Cole has no regrets, after adding a host of trophies to his CV at Chelsea and establishing himself as one of the best players in his position. Cole was inducted into the Premier League Hall of Fame in 2024.

Nwankwo Kanu's hat-trick - October 1999

Two years later, Stamford Bridge was the scene of one of this rivalry's great comebacks and individual performances.

Chelsea were 2-0 up following strikes by Tore Andre Flo and Dan Petrescu. Having not conceded a Premier League home goal before Arsenal’s visit, victory for the Blues seemed secure at that stage.

But Nwankwo Kanu had other ideas, netting a hat-trick for the Gunners in the last 15 minutes, sealed with a stunning third goal, scored from an improbable angle.

Watch: Kanu's clinical hat-trick

It came after Kanu rounded goalkeeper Ed de Goey on the byline and successfully pulled off one of his trademark tricks, despite his fellow Nigeria international Celestine Babayaro warning his Chelsea team-mates to be ready for it.

"If you ask me for the greatest goal I have ever scored, that is what I would say," Kanu reflected. "None of my team-mates believed I could score from that angle. Even Arsene Wenger said, 'How did you do that?'"

Winterburn's wonder goal - September 1997 

Nigel Winterburn did not score too often during his career but in 1997, the left-back became one of the most unlikely match-winners this fixture ever has seen.

Given that 18 months had passed since he last scored - for previous club Wimbledon, in March 1996 - nobody would have expected what happened next when, heading into the final minute and with the scoreline level at 2-2, Winterburn collected the ball in space.

Rather than pass to a more likely scorer such as Dennis Bergkamp or Ian Wright, Winterburn strode forward unchallenged and thumped a swerving effort into the top corner to settle a Stamford Bridge rollercoaster and secure his place in Arsenal v Chelsea folklore.

Watch: Winterburn's wonder strike

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