Chelsea F.C.–Leeds United A.F.C. rivalry

Chelsea and Leeds United rivalry

Leeds and Chelsea in action at Elland Road on 1 April 2000
Locale	London and Yorkshire
Teams	Chelsea Leeds United
First meeting	10 December 1927
Latest meeting	Leeds 1–5 Chelsea 2012–13 League Cup (19 December 2012)
Statistics
Meetings total	102
Most wins	Leeds United (39)
All-time series	Chelsea: 34 Drawn: 29 Leeds United: 39
Largest victory	Leeds United 7–0 Chelsea Chelsea 7–1 Leeds United

The rivalry between Chelsea and Leeds United is a football rivalry between London-based club Chelsea and Yorkshire-based Leeds United. The rivalry first emerged in the 1960s after a series of fiercely contested and controversial matches, when the two clubs were frequently involved in the pursuit of domestic and European honours culminating in the 1970 FA Cup Final, which is regarded as one of the most physical matches in English football history.

The perceived contrast between the clubs also fuelled the rivalry, summed up as "Yorkshire grit versus flash Cockney." The rivalry between the clubs often spilled out onto the terraces: at the height of British football hooliganism in the 1970s and 1980s, Chelsea's Headhunters and Leeds' Service Crew were among the most notorious football firms and had numerous violent encounters with each other. Hooliganism has been effectively curtailed since the 1990s and the rivalry has since declined.

In the Official Chelsea Biography, Leeds were cited as one of Chelsea's major rivalries and the enmity between the two sets of supporters continues to this day. However, Leeds' relegation from the Premier League in 2004 has effectively ended the rivalry; the clubs have only met once in the ten years since. In the 2003 Football Fans Census, while Leeds fans named Chelsea as their second-biggest rivals, behind Manchester United, Chelsea fans consider Arsenal to be their main rivals, followed by Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester United.

Chelsea were founded in 1905, Leeds United in 1919. Both teams flitted between the First and Second Divisions in their early years, and neither won a major trophy prior to World War II. The clubs first met in a competitive match in the Second Division on 10 December 1927; Leeds won 5–0. Leeds also won 3–2 in the return fixture at Stamford Bridge that season to clinch promotion back to Division One. In 1952, they contested a gruelling fifth round FA Cup tie which took three matches to produce a winner, Chelsea eventually prevailed 5–1 in a second replay at Villa Park. An aggregate crowd of almost 150,000 watched the three matches and such was the fearsome tackling on display, Chelsea had to make seven changes to their line-up for a subsequent match.