Chelsea’s season has been difficult, with fans feeling disconnected from ownership and players, and the team sitting 10th after losing the FA Cup final. Tottenham’s survival scenario at Stamford Bridge depends on results, with a win or even a point potentially securing Premier League status. Chelsea’s new manager, Xabi Alonso, has brought optimism, and a victory over Spurs would force Roberto de Zerbi’s side into a final-day survival match at home against Everton. The rivalry matters because it spans more than a century, beginning in 1910 when Tottenham relegated Chelsea, and later intensified with the first all-London FA Cup final in 1967 at Wembley. Chelsea fans also recall past meetings and records at Stamford Bridge.
"If Tottenham secure Premier League survival at Stamford Bridge on Tuesday, many Chelsea fans would judge it an appropriate finale to a dismal season. A win for Spurs will do the job - and realistically, given their goal difference advantage over third-from-bottom West Ham, so would a point. Their hosts have had little to cheer recently. The fans feel disconnected from the ownership and the players. Their team sit 10th, and they have just lost the FA Cup final."
"But the appointment of new manager Xabi Alonso on Sunday has at least brought some optimism. So too would beating Spurs, and forcing Roberto de Zerbi and his players to take their survival fight to a final-day home match against Everton. Chelsea, in a sense, have been here before: In 2016, they mathematically ended Tottenham's Premier League title challenge with a draw at Stamford Bridge, in what had been a difficult season under the ownership of Roman Abramovich."
"Why does beating Spurs mean so much to so many Chelsea fans? It is a rivalry that dates back more than a century - and includes two relegations and a cup final. The rivalry's origins date back to 1910, when Tottenham relegated Chelsea from the First Division by beating them on the season's final day. It was cemented when they met in the first all-London FA Cup final, in front of 100,000 fans at Wembley in 1967."
"Author Mark Meehan, who has written books about Chelsea, says: "It's a fan-driven rivalry going back generations and needle has built between fans, rather than being based on geography, like Arsenal versus Spurs. He added: "It goes back as far as 1910 when Spurs relega""
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