Fernando Torres (L) of Chelsea vs. Laurent Koscielny (R) of Arsenal

Origins

Arsenal was founded in 1886 under the name Dial Square by workers at the Royal Arsenal in Woolwich. The team became the first southern member of the Football League in 1893 and was promoted to first division in 1904. The club became near-bankrupt in 1910 before it was taken over by Henry Norris and William Hall and moved to Highbury in North London. The club won its first FA Cup Final in 1930 and began to dominate British football in the 1930s.

Chelsea was founded in 1904 when Gus Mears bought Stamford Bridge athletics stadium to create his own football club. The club was officially founded on the 10th March at The Rising Sun pub, now known as the Butcher’s Hook. Chelsea was first promoted to the First Division in 1905 and reached the FA Cup Final in 1915, but success eluded the club until the 1960s, when they first won the League Cup.

Colors

Arsenal’s home colors have typically been bright red shirts with white sleeves and shorts. Initially, its away colors were white shorts with black or white shorts, but in the 1969-70 season, they changed to yellow and blue. Arsenal’s shirts are made by Nike and sponsored by Emirates.

Chelsea have always worn blue shirts, and they currently match these with blue shorts and white socks. Chelsea’s away colors are all yellow or all white with blue trim.

Records and Firsts

Arsenal’s match on 22nd January 1927 was the first English League match to be broadcast live on radio, and on 16th September 1937, an exhibition match between their first team and reserves was the first football match in the world to be broadcast live on television. Arsenal has the most consecutive seasons spent in the top flight (85), the longest run of unbeaten League matches (49), and the most matches played in the Champions League without conceding a goal (10).

Chelsea hold the English record for the highest points total for a league season (95), the fewest goals conceded in a season (15), and the highest number of Premier League victories in a season (29). They also hold the record for the longest streak of unbeaten home matches (86).

Rivalry

As of January 2013, Arsenal and Chelsea had played each other 178 times. Arsenal won 68 of these matches and Chelsea won 58. The largest margin of victory was a 5-0 win for Chelsea in the 97-98 Football League Cup and the top goal scorer was Didier Drogba with 13 goals. (Source: Wikipedia)

Championships

Arsenal has won 13 Premier League titles: 1930-31, 1932-3, 1933-4, 1934-5, 1937-8, 1947-8, 1952-3, 1970-71, 1990-91, 2001-02, and 2003-04. They have won the FA Cup 10 times, in 1930, 1936, 1950, 1971, 1979, 1992, 1998, 2002, 2003 and 2005. They made the UEFA Championships in 2006 but lost to Barcelona.

Chelsea have won the 4 Premier League titles: in 1954-55, 2004-05, 2005-06 and 2009-10. They have also won the FA Cup 10 times, in 1970, 1997, 2000, 2007, 2009, 2010 and 2012, and won the UEFA Champions League in the 2011-2012 season.

Stadium

From 1913 to 2006, Arsenal was based at Arsenal Stadium, usually known as Highbury. The stadium could hold 57,000 spectators until the early 90s, when new regulations forced the club to change to an all-seater stadium, reducing capacity to 38,419 spectators. In 2000, Arsenal decided to build a new 60,361 capacity stadium at Ashburton Grove. Construction was completed in July 2006.

Chelsea has always been based at Stamford Bridge, otherwise known as The Bridge. In 2001, it became an all-seater stadium with a capacity of 50,000.

Supporters

Arsenal fans refer to themselves as “Gooners.” Virtually all home games sell out.

Chelsea has the fifth highest average all-time attendance in English football. Supporters sing chants such as Carefree, Ten Men Went to Mow, We All Follow Chelsea, Zigga Zagga and Celery. In the 1970s and 1980s, Chelsea’s fans were associated with football hooliganism

Reputation

Arsenal has been stereotyped as a defensive and “Possesion football" team.

Chelsea has been associated with violent football hooliganism, particularly in the 70s and 80s.

Community Work

Arsenal established The Arsenal Charitable Trust in 1992. By 2006, it had raised more than £2 million for local causes. In the 2009-10 season, they raised £818.897 for Great Ormond Street Hospital Children’s Charity.

Recent News

References

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