Chelsea vs Arsenal: Who are the top goalscorers of all time in fixtures between the two clubs?

On Sunday, Arsenal make the short trip across London to take on Chelsea in what is increasingly becoming a match that Mikel Arteta’s team must strive to take something from. Following a 1-0 defeat to Inter Milan in the Champions League in midweek, Arsenal have picked up just two wins in their last six games in all competitions, whilst still reeling from back-to-back defeats to Bournemouth and Newcastle in the Premier League. Should Chelsea pick up all three points on the day, Arteta’s side could risk dropping out of the top six and eight points behind title rivals Manchester City. 

Not only will Enzo Maresca and his side take confidence from Arsenal’s recent misfortunes, but will also note that their cross-city rivals haven’t won at Stamford Bridge since August 2018 and have the unenviable record of failing to win any of their last five trips to Chelsea in the Premier League. And when we take a look through the history books to see which goalscorers have typically thrived in this showdown between both English heavyweights, it begins to explain why Chelsea have often come out on top in recent memory. 

 

The top goalscorers in clashes between Chelsea and Arsenal 

To no great surprise for Chelsea fans, the player that still holds the record for most goals scored in fixtures between the two London clubs is none other than Didier Drogba. Over the course of 15 clashes with Arsenal, the former Ivory Coast international bagged 10 goals, as well as a further four assists. Perhaps the most notable of which came in the 06/07 League Cup final, where Drogba bagged a brace to help Chelsea lift the trophy. Or indeed the goal he scored in Chelsea’s 2-1 FA Cup semi-final victory over Arsenal in 08/09. To the enduring frustration of Arsenal fans, Drogba not only enjoyed a great goalscoring record against the club but also managed to avoid defeat in all but one game against Arsenal. 

In second place is Arsenal legend Thierry Henry, who is often considered to not only be the North London club’s greatest ever player but also one of the Premier League’s most accomplished strikers. And with no less than 10 goals and a further two assists in 20 games against Chelsea, there’s little doubt that the Stamford Bridge side were forced to endure much of Henry’s glory years in the English top-flight. Like Drogba, Henry’s goals often ensured a great record against his London foes, with just three defeats in the 20 games he faced against Chelsea during his career at Arsenal. 

Level on goals with Henry is none other than Chelsea legend Bobby Tambling, who also scored 10 goals in the fixture between both clubs. Tambling was Chelsea’s all-time leading scorer for many years, scoring over 200 goals for the club when he was a crucial player for the London club in the 1960s. His record was broken by Frank Lampard in 2013, but his legacy on this fixture has stood the test of time, with the Sussex-born striker sitting proud alongside Henry in second place on our list. 

In fourth place on our list is Ray Kennedy. Although the English footballer was perhaps better known as a midfielder in Bob Paisley’s European-conquering Liverpool teams, before that he was an exceptional goal scorer for Arsenal and helped the club to plenty of success in the early 1970s, when they won a historic league and FA Cup double. As such, he also bagged a number of goals against Chelsea during that period of time, with no less than nine in 11 appearances against the Stamford Bridge side. 

Rounding up the top five of our list is none other than Arsenal legend Ian Wright, who bagged no less than eight goals for the North London club in 14 games against Chelsea. The English striker quickly became a fan favourite at Arsenal with his remarkable goal-scoring ability, which eventually saw him become the club’s all-time scorer with 186 goals in 288 appearances. That record was eventually surpassed by Henry in 2005, but not before Wright notched up an impressive record against Chelsea in a number of showdowns with the club.