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FOR much of the 2000s, the Premier League had its ‘big four’ clubs, namely Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool and Manchester United. They were quite often the highest four placed teams in the division, and even had historical gravitas. Then Man City got rich, and Tottenham had a couple of good seasons, so the narrative changed to the ‘big six’. However, several of those clubs have taken it in turns to be a bit rubbish, and we’ve also had Newcastle and Aston Villa recently qualify for the Champions League. Are we in uncharted ‘big 8’ territory?

With all this uncertainty about what teams actually belong where, it’s good that you can always rely on a London derby. While Brentford vs Fulham (as an example) may not pack quite the same punch as Liverpool vs Manchester United say, at least it’s a match between two sides from the same city. And these glorious fixtures will form the focus of our article this week. Arsenal travel to Crystal Palace in the 5.30pm kick-off this Saturday, looking to remain unbeaten in Premier League London derby matches for the whole of 2024. It would be the first time the Gunners have done so in a calendar year since 2004, while it would be the eighth time a team has done so overall (with Arsenal responsible for most of them):

Unbeaten in PL London Derbies – Calendar Year

Team

Year

Games

W

D

L

Arsenal

1996

8

4

4

0

Arsenal

2000

8

6

2

0

Charlton Athletic

2001

10

5

5

0

Arsenal

2002

10

7

3

0

Arsenal

2003

8

6

2

0

Arsenal

2004

10

7

3

0

Chelsea

2005

10

9

1

0

Arsenal

2024

9

7

2

0

In total, Arsenal have won 159 Premier League London derby matches, the joint-most alongside Chelsea. However, the Gunners have played a game fewer, giving them the best win rate overall in such games. And worse news for Crystal Palace fans is that the Eagles have the second lowest win rate in these fixtures:

Premier League London Derbies

Played

W

D

L

W%

Arsenal

304

159

82

63

52.3%

Chelsea

305

159

77

69

52.1%

Tottenham Hotspur

306

111

87

108

36.3%

Brentford

39

13

13

13

33.3%

West Ham United

270

82

60

128

30.4%

Charlton Athletic

76

23

15

38

30.3%

Wimbledon

78

23

22

33

29.5%

Queens Park Rangers

70

17

20

33

24.3%

Crystal Palace

153

32

41

80

20.9%

Fulham

167

34

45

88

20.4%

Courtesy of Crystal Palace remaining in the division since 2013, the fact that Wimbledon used to play there, and various clubs moving grounds, Selhurst Park is the stadium to have hosted the second highest number of Premier League London derbies. And if two goals are scored on Saturday evening, it will be the second ground to see 300 such goals scored in the competition:

Premier League London Derbies

Played

Goals

Stamford Bridge

153

417

Selhurst Park

116

298

White Hart Lane

115

295

Emirates Stadium

83

253

Upton Park

93

251

Craven Cottage

75

203

Highbury

67

180

London Stadium

41

127

The Valley

38

118

Tottenham Hotspur Stadium

33

102

Loftus Road

44

85

Brentford Community Stadium

19

42

Wembley Stadium

7

17

And a few more Premier League London derby awards that may (or may not, it’s all just a bit of fun) be of interest:

Longest unbeaten run – 35 games, Arsenal between November 2001 and April 2005

Longest winless run – 24 games, Fulham between January 2014 and May 2021

Longest winning run – 8 games, Chelsea between April 2005 and January 2006

Longest losing run – 13 games, Fulham between August 2018 and November 2020

Bukayo Saka has been Arsenal’s brightest spark this season, and his form in London derby matches typifies this. He’s had a hand in 14 goals in his last 15 league matches against fellow London sides (7 goals, 7 assists), while his two assists against West Ham last month took him to 4th place in the all-time assists standings in such games. If this form continues, don’t bet against him taking the number one spot in the near future:

Premier League London Derbies

Assists

Cesc Fàbregas

24

Dennis Bergkamp

23

Frank Lampard

18

Bukayo Saka

17

Didier Drogba

16

Christian Eriksen

15

Michail Antonio

14

Eden Hazard

14

Darren Anderton

13

With 53 games played for Saka, he’s got a way to go to trouble the top appearance makers in PL London derbies. For those inclined for a good quiz question, there are five players to make 100+ appearances in such games, with West Ham and Chelsea legend Frank Lampard at the very top of the list:

Premier League London Derbies

Games

Frank Lampard

139

John Terry

116

Mark Noble

105

Sol Campbell

103

Petr Cech

101

Hugo Lloris

93

Chris Perry

90

César Azpilicueta

87

Ashley Cole

87

Jermain Defoe

87

Meanwhile, in terms of most goals scored, Harry Kane perhaps unsurprisingly holds this record, netting 51 in his time at Spurs in the competition. Another personal accolade in an otherwise trophyless existence for the England skipper.

Premier League London Derbies

Goals

Harry Kane

51

Thierry Henry

43

Frank Lampard

32

Teddy Sheringham

32

Jermain Defoe

28

Son Heung-Min

28

Ian Wright

28

Robin van Persie

25

Didier Drogba

23

Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink

22

And as with the teams, some more fun Premier League London derby records you never knew you needed:

Most games with a 100% win rate – Francis Jeffers, who won all seven such appearances

Most games with a 100% loss rate – Denis Odoi and Jean Seri, who both lost all nine such appearances. Here’s the link to a popular search engine if any more information is required… https://www.google.co.uk/

Most games without ever losing – Four players have featured in 10+ Premier League London derbies without ever losing, all of them Arsenal legends* – Edu 19 (W14 D5), José Antonio Reyes 17 (W10 D7), Pascal Cygan (W11 D4) and Fabio Vieira (W6 D4)

Most games without ever winning – Four players have featured in 10+ Premier League London derbies without ever winning, all of them with Fulham – Frank Anguissa 14 (D4 L10), Diomansy Kamara 13 (D4 L9), Joe Bryan 12 (D1 L11) and Aboubakar Kamara 10 (D1 L9).

*Legends comment purely subjective, though worth noting Pascal Cygan has won the PL title unbeaten


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