Arsenal host Chelsea on Sunday afternoon at the Emirates, in what is sure to be a feisty London Derby match.
The Gunners are looking to put an end to their winless run in the Premier League, that has seen Mikel Arteta’s team fail to claim all three points in each of their last three games.
Despite this blip in the league, Arsenal progressed into the quarter-final of the Champions League in midweek, drawing against PSV to secure a 9-3 aggregate victory over the Dutch side.
Arteta is likely to name a strong team against the Blues, with his ensemble well rested after the Spaniard rung the changes for the dead rubber on Wednesday night.
Chelsea held Arsenal to a draw in the reverse fixture at Stamford Bridge, and thus, the North Londoners will be desperate to get one over their West London rivals this time around.
What Chelsea fans threw at Arsenal players in 2007 EFL Cup final
Arsenal have always had a fierce rivalry with Chelsea, but the animosity between the two clubs certainly grew substantially in the 2000s.
This came as a direct result of the Blues’ rise to prominence under Roman Abramovich, but was exacerbated by events that took place in the 2007 Carling Cup final.
Arsene Wenger deployed a young team against Jose Mourinho’s outfit, while the Portuguese picked a full-strength side against the Gunners at the Millennium Stadium.
Theo Walcott’s early goal was cancelled out by a brace from Didier Drogba, who led a star-studded Chelsea team, that included the likes of Andriy Shevchenko, Frank Lampard, John Terry, Michael Ballack and Michael Essien, to victory.
While tempers flared at times on the pitch, as Emmanuel Adebayor and Essien were sent off, the Chelsea faithful caused the most disgruntlement from the Arsenal camp.
The Blues supporters in Wales threw celery at Gunners players throughout the game, most frequently when Wenger’s men were taking corners.
Arsenal players furiously complained about being pelted with the vegetable in the aftermath of the game, leading to celery being banned from Stamford Bridge.
An official statement on the Chelsea website read in 2007: “The throwing of anything at a football match, including celery, is a criminal offence for which you can be arrested and end up with a criminal record.
“In future, if anyone is found attempting to bring celery into Stamford Bridge, they could be refused entry, and anyone caught throwing celery will face a ban.”
- READ MORE: Arsene Wenger once went and signed a player for Arsenal after falling for Dennis Bergkamp’s prank
Rivalry with Chelsea may help Arsenal on Sunday
Fast forward 18 years, and Arsenal and Chelsea’s mutual hatred has arguably gone up a notch.
After years of the West London club winning multiple pieces of silverware, and often at Arsenal’s expense, the Gunners have been basking in the glory of their counterparts’ struggles in recent years.
However, Enzo Maresca’s team have somewhat closed the gap this season, and the increased tension that this brings could make the Emirates a cauldron on Sunday.
Arteta can utilise the home crowd’s likely hostility to his advantage, by cultivating a siege mentality, potentially giving Arsenal an extra edge.
With the North Londoners’ attack flailing without some of their star forwards, any marginal gain Arteta can get could be hugely valuable.
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