Chelsea have a very successful history in English football, but this has not come without its fair share of defeats.
Which club has defeated Chelsea most? In total, Liverpool have defeated Chelsea the most, beating them a staggering 84 times, three more times than Arsenal have defeated Chelsea.
You might think that Chelsea’s cross-town rivals Arsenal have defeated Chelsea the most. But it is currently Liverpool as the team who have defeated Chelsea the most in the history of the two teams.
At the time of writing, Liverpool have defeated Chelsea 84 times. This is three more times than Arsenal and Manchester United have defeated Chelsea. This might seem like a surprise, but Liverpool had long stretches of dominance over Chelsea. In the 1970s there was a seven-year spell where Chelsea could not get the best of Liverpool.
In the 1980s, Chelsea went seven years without a victory over Liverpool as the Red were dominant in that spell, including back-to-back wins by three goals. Since the start of the Premier League, the record has slowly started to get closer together. Chelsea have been the more successful team in the Premier League era.
But Liverpool have still been able to get wins at Chelsea even when they weren’t as successful as Chelsea. Liverpool managed a surprise win over Chelsea at the start of the 2016-17 season with a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge. What made the victory surprising is that Chelsea would go on to win the title that season.
Manchester United and Arsenal are not very far behind in terms of defeating Chelsea. Both teams have defeated Chelsea 81 times and are closing in on Liverpool’s record.
Who is Chelsea’s biggest enemy?
It is difficult to say exactly who Chelsea’s biggest enemy is. Over the last few years, Tottenham have really been Chelsea’s biggest enemy.
Are Tottenham Chelsea’s biggest enemy?
Over the last decade, Chelsea have often been foiled by Tottenham and often the other way around. The two teams have produced some very hostile games in the last few years. These two teams were always rivals due to both being in London, but Tottenham and Chelsea have both been competing at a high level over the last few years.
The Battle of the Bridge is really a key indicator of how much the teams dislike each other. Tottenham needed to beat Chelsea to keep their title hopes alive. It turned into one of the dirtiest games in Premier League history. Both teams put in crunching tackles and there were flare-ups between both teams multiple times in the game.
What made the game even more iconic is that Chelsea held Tottenham to a 2-2 draw which secured Leicester City their incredible title victory with Tottenham now out of title contention. It is a miracle that no one was sent off in the game and was a clear indication of how much the two teams disliked each other.
At the start of the 2022-23 season, we saw the rivalry flare up again. Chelsea’s manager Thomas Tuchel and Tottenham manager Antonio Conte clashed multiple times in the game, including Conte celebrating right in front of Tuchel after Spurs got a 96th-minute equaliser.
They clashed at the full-time whistle and both were reprimanded by the FA after the game.
Tottenham have certainly had some high-profile clashes with Chelsea over the last few years so currently, you would probably see them as Chelsea’s biggest enemy.
Are Manchester United Chelsea’s biggest enemy?
You can definitely consider Manchester United one of Chelsea’s biggest rivals. In the 2000s, these two teams were the dominant sides in the Premier League and they often came up against each other in important games. Chelsea and Manchester United both finished in the top two in five seasons across seven years.
They had plenty of big games outside of the league. One of those was the 2008 Champions League final. Both teams were tied at 1-1 after 120 minutes of play so it went to penalties. John Terry had the chance to score the winner but slipped as he was taking the penalty and his effort hit the outside of the post.
After United score their next two penalties, Nicolas Anelka’s penalty was saved by Edwin van der Sar. Alex Ferguson and Jose Mourinho had a brilliant rivalry in the 2000s and are still seen as two of the best managers in Premier League history.
I think if you asked a lot of Chelsea fans at the moment, they probably would not say that Manchester United are their team’s biggest enemy. That is because Manchester United have not competed at the top level alongside Chelsea for the last decade, with Chelsea being the much more successful side since Sir Alex Ferguson retired.
Are Arsenal Chelsea’s biggest enemy?
There is certainly a case for Arsenal being Chelsea’s biggest rival. For one thing, Arsenal are the most successful side in London, so Chelsea are constantly trying to catch up to Arsenal’s trophy record. There is a lot of competition to be the capital’s best team and fans of both clubs often argue about what colour London is.
Being this close to a rival means that you could easily say that Arsenal are the team’s biggest rival. Arsenal have also been successful at similar times to Chelsea, with the London rivals making up the top two of the Premier League in 2003-04 and again in 2004-05, swapping positions in each season.
Over recent years, Chelsea has been the more successful team. Despite that, the London club seems to have a way of playing against each other in major finals. Arsenal have beaten Chelsea in the FA Cup final twice in the last five years, winning both games 2-1. Chelsea have gotten some revenge on the continent, however.
Chelsea dominantly defeated Arsenal 4-1 in the 2019 Europa League final, preventing the Gunners from winning their first major European trophy since winning the UEFA Cup Winners’ Cup back in 1994. These two teams do not get on but at the moment they might not be Chelsea’s biggest enemy.