West Ham and Chelsea might not represent the strongest of London rivalries, but there is still no love lost between the two clubs and their respective fanbases.

Over the years, the clubs have been involved in some bitter battles, both on and off the pitch.

Much of that was heightened at the beginning of the century when West Ham academy graduate Frank Lampard forced a move away from east London, opting to sign for Chelsea for a mere £11m in 2001.

That naturally upset West Ham fans, who didn’t take lightly to one of their own moving from one side of London to the other in such controversial circumstances. Since then, the Hammers faithful have developed an even stronger disliking of their west London rivals.

What hasn’t helped is their inferior standing up against the Blues, who have become one of the biggest clubs in world football over the past two decades, while the Hammers have endured decades of relegations, mediocre campaigns and disappointing cup exits, before ending a 43-year trophy drought last term.

So with all of that in mind, Football FanCast takes a look at the head-to-head record between these two bitter London rivals ahead of their upcoming Premier League clash at London Stadium…

West Ham vs Chelsea: Who has the better head-to-head record?

These two sides first met in September 1915, playing out a goalless draw in the London Combination. It came during a period of disruption for competitive sport following the outbreak of the First World War.

A series of regional competitions continued in place of national leagues and domestic cups, so clubs in London were placed in a mini-league that became known as the London Combination.

Interestingly, wartime matches are not regarded as competitive and are therefore not included in official statistics, much like friendlies today, but this is the first meeting between West Ham and Chelsea on record nonetheless.

To date, the London rivals have faced off 154 times across all competitions, and despite Chelsea’s dominance in recent history, the overall record between them is pretty even.

That’s because during the very early years of their rivalry between 1915 and the early 1980s, West Ham often got the better of the Blues. Now, though, it’s a much different story as Chelsea have grown into the Premier League force they’re now considered to be.

Interestingly, though, despite the modern-day switch of power between these two sides, West Ham still hold a slight advantage over Chelsea by way of goal difference, having scored 262 goals against the Blues and conceding 254.

West Ham wins: 59 Draws: 33 Chelsea wins: 62 West Ham vs Chelsea: Who has more wins at the London Stadium/Upton Park?

Before West Ham’s move to London Stadium in 2016, the Hammers played at the Boleyn Ground, more commonly known as Upton Park. Their record against Chelsea there was good, losing just five of their first 22 meetings at home between 1923 and 1974.

As Chelsea’s dominance over West Ham grew after Roman Abramovich’s 2003 takeover, the Hammers struggled a lot more on their home patch, beating the Blues just twice more at home between 2003 and 2015, including their final match against the Blues at Upton Park before moving stadiums.

Since moving to London Stadium, the Hammers have enjoyed a decent level of success against Chelsea, losing just twice in eight matches between the two sides. Their last defeat at home to Chelsea came via a narrow 1-0 scoreline behind closed doors in April 2021.

West Ham wins: 30 Draws: 10 Chelsea wins: 20 West Ham vs Chelsea: Who has more wins at Stamford Bridge?

Regardless of these sides being on a relatively even footing for much of their respective histories, Stamford Bridge has been something of a fortress for Chelsea when West Ham visit.

West Ham last left west London victorious in November 2019, via a 1-0 win thanks to an Aaron Cresswell goal, but that was their first win at Stamford Bridge since a Paolo Di Canio masterclass helped them to a 3-2 victory in 2002.

Between those two sides, Chelsea had won 10 games against the Hammers on home turf, drawing four others.

Overall, Chelsea have beaten West Ham at Stamford Bridge 32 times and have lost on only 13 occasions, which is a pretty impressive record over the course of over 100 years of rivalry.

Chelsea wins: 32 Draws: 13 West Ham wins: 13 West Ham vs Chelsea: Who has the better Premier League record?

Unsurprisingly, Chelsea hold an impressive head-to-head record over West Ham in the Premier League era.

Especially since 2003, the Blues have been one of the strongest teams in the division, while the Hammers have often competed in the bottom half of the table, and suffered two relegations since Chelsea’s takeover.

West Ham’s last victory over Chelsea in the Premier League came in December 2021, thanks to a freak Arthur Masuaku winner in the final five minutes of the game. That is their only win in their last six clashes with the Blues.

Between January 2006 and March 2015, Chelsea dominated this fixture in the Premier League, losing just once in 18 meetings, drawing three others and winning the rest.

West Ham wins: 15 Draws: 10 Chelsea wins: 29 West Ham vs Chelsea: Who has the better cup record?

Only taking FA Cup and League Cup into account – due to many of the cup competitions played in the early 1900s not officially being ‘competitive’, West Ham and Chelsea have met just 10 times in domestic knock-out competitions.

Chelsea hold dominance over West Ham here, too, with six wins and just three defeats. The last time they met in the cup was in October 2016, with West Ham winning 2-1 at London Stadium in the League Cup 4th round. That was their first win over Chelsea in cup competition since 1994.

The two London rivals last met in the FA Cup in 2002, when Chelsea needed a 4th round replay to advance following a 1-1 draw at Stamford Bridge. They won the replay 3-2 at Upton Park.

West Ham wins: 3 Draws: 1 Chelsea: 6 West Ham vs Chelsea: What were the last 5 meetings?

11th February 2023 – West Ham 1-1 Chelsea: This one was far from a classic, but it proved to be a hugely important point for West Ham in their survival bid.

The Blues dominated the game, having 72% possession throughout, and took the lead through Joao Felix in the 16th minute.

However, just 12 minutes later, former Blues full-back Emerson Palmieri popped up at the back post to level it for the Hammers – his first goal in claret and blue.

3rd September 2022 – Chelsea 2-1 West Ham: This clash produced one of the most controversial VAR decisions of the season, if not ever.

Michael Antonio’s opener in the 62nd minute had looked like it would be the winner for the Hammers, but goals from Ben Chilwell (76) and Kai Havertz (88) turned the game on its head late on, giving Chelsea all three points and leaving the Hammers in the bottom three.

However, that wasn’t before a Maxwel Cornet equaliser deep into stoppage time was ruled out by VAR for a foul goalkeeper Edouard Mendy.

Replays showed Mendy had challenged Jarrod Bowen in the box, a challenge Bowen jumped out of the way of. The ball rebounded into Cornet’s path, who calmly smashed it home in front of the jubilant Hammers fans in the away end.

But referee Andrew Madley decided Bowen had ‘fouled’ Mendy while jumping out of the way of the initial challenge and ruled out the goal. Replays showed that the minimal contact was completely unavoidable, with Moyes labelling the decision as “scandalous” after the game.

24th April 2022 – Chelsea 1-0 West Ham: More late heartbreak for West Ham at Stamford Bridge, this time via a 90th-minute Christian Pulisic winner.

The goal came just four minutes after West Ham’s Craig Dawson received a straight red card after fouling Romelu Lukaku in the penalty box.

Jorginho missed the resulting penalty, which gave the Hammers renewed hope of taking a rare point away from west London. But Pulisic’s dramatic winner just minutes later dashed those hopes and the Blues took all three points.

4th December 2021 – West Ham 3-2 Chelsea: Arthur Masuaku’s winner in the 87th minute surprised everyone, including himself. He posted on Twitter after the game: “So, was it a cross or was it a shot. Hint: I was as surprised as you.”

It was an ending to a thrilling London derby that saw the Hammers twice peg the Blues back. Thiago Silva and Mason Mount found the net for Chelsea but both saw their goals levelled via a Manual Lanzini penalty and a 56th-minute Jarrod Bowen finish.

Masuaku’s cross-turned-shot late on gave West Ham all three points.

24th April 2021 – West Ham 0-1 Chelsea: Another narrow Chelsea win and another game defined by a controversial VAR decision.

A rare Timo Werner goal had given Chelsea the lead on the stroke of half-time, and the Blues looked like they might be able to grind out a victory despite facing increased West Ham pressure in the second half.

However, in the 81st minute, referee Chris Kavanagh was asked to look at the pitchside monitor after Ben Chilwell went down following an attempt to block a Fabian Balbuena clearance.

Replays showed Chilwell clatter into Balbuena’s kicking foot milliseconds after his foot made contact with the ball.

Kavanagh decided Balbuena had purposely kicked Chillwell whilst kicking the ball in the same motion and showed a red card.

Unsurprisingly, West Ham’s momentum in search for an equaliser ended right there and Chelsea were able to see out the final moments of the game comfortably.

Who has played for West Ham and Chelsea?

There are quite a few players who have played for both clubs over the years, but there are some especially big names in that list that are worth highlighting – three of whom are West Ham academy products.

Frank Lampard (West Ham 1995-2001; Chelsea 2001-2014): Lampard is the highest-profile player to have played for both, and for good reason. Having come through West Ham’s academy, the midfielder made almost 190 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 39 goals.

His father, a West Ham legend himself, was the assistant manager to Harry Redknapp at the time (Redknapp is also Lampard’s uncle).

When Redknapp and Lampard Sr. were sacked in 2000, Lampard Jr. began to push for a move away from east London.

Despite his record at the club, there were a lot of fans who believed he was only in the team because his dad and uncle picked the team, so he didn’t quite feel appreciated by the Hammers faithful. He went on to sign for Chelsea in an £11m deal in 2001, and the rest is history.

Lampard went on to make almost 650 appearances for the Blues, scoring 211 goals and becoming the club’s all-time top goalscorer. He is now regarded as one of the greatest players in Premier League history, and has since managed Chelsea on two occasions. Since leaving West Ham, Hammers fans have always held him up as a key villain of the club and still do to this day.

Joe Cole (West Ham 1998-2003, 2013-2014; Chelsea 2003-2010): Another product of West Ham’s famed youth academy, Joe Cole’s West Ham exit was received in far more understandable fashion than Lampard’s just a couple of years earlier.

Cole made 150 appearances for the Hammers, scoring 13 goals, and was widely regarded as one of the most exciting prospects in England at the time.

But he was still unable to prevent West Ham from being relegated in 2003, which led to the club needing to sell him to raise much-needed funds.

Chelsea came calling at signed him for a bargain £6.6m that summer, with Cole going on to make over 280 appearances for the Blues, scoring 39 goals.

Cole spent a season at Liverpool and a year on loan in Ligue 1 with Lille before returning to West Ham for 18 months in 2013, going on to make another 37 appearances and scoring five more goals. Unlike Lampard, Cole is highly regarded amongst the West Ham faithful and is a cult hero.

Glen Johnson (West Ham 2002-2003; Chelsea 2003-2007): Glen Johnson only had half a season as a West Ham player, having broken into the team as a youth player in 2003, the season West Ham were relegated from the Premier League.

The Hammers were forced to sell the full-back that summer as a result, and he joined Chelsea alongside Joe Cole for £6m. Johnson went on to make just 72 appearances for the Blues over four seasons before being sold to Portsmouth.

He went on to really make his name as a Liverpool player, where he made 200 appearances.

Carlton Cole (Chelsea 2001-2006; West Ham 2006-2013, 2013-2015): Another Cole, but this time with the opposite journey to Joe. Carlton came through the Chelsea academy but struggled to make a serious impact on the first team, making just 31 appearances and scoring eight goals over four seasons.

He was shipped out on loan three times, to Wolves, Charlton and Aston Villa, before eventually joining West Ham permanently in 2006. He went on to become something of a legend in east London, scoring 68 goals in 293 appearances across two spells.

He was famously released by the club after seven seasons but then re-signed just a few months later after the club had failed to find his replacement in the transfer window.

In 2011, West Ham were relegated from the Premier League and received a number of offers for the striker’s services, but he refused to leave. He later admitted he felt like he had a duty to the West Ham fans to try and get the club back up to the top flight.

He achieved that at the first time of asking, scoring in the play-off final at Wembley as West Ham beat Blackpool 2-1.

Other players to have played for both clubs include Victor Moses, Demba Ba, Jimmy Greaves, Yossi Benayoun, Wayne Bridge and Scott Parker.

What is West Ham’s biggest victory over Chelsea?

Not including ‘non-competitive’ wartime games, in which West Ham recorded 10-3, 6-2, 8-4, 5-0 and 6-1 victories over Chelsea, West Ham’s largest ‘official’ victory over the Blues is 4-0, which came in a February 1981 Division Two clash at Upton Park.

They also beat the Blues 4-0 a few years later at Stamford Bridge, this time in Divison One, in a season that saw West Ham come the closest they’ve ever come to winning the title, eventually finishing third on the final day of the 1985/86 campaign.

What is Chelsea’s biggest victory over West Ham?

Chelsea’s biggest victory over West Ham is also 4-0. This happened in March 2008 in a Premier League clash at Upton Park.

Goals from former Hammers Frank Lampard and Joe Cole set the Blues on their way before Michael Ballack made it 3-0 inside 2 minutes. A rare Ashley Cole finish just after the hour completed the rout for Chelsea.

The only silver lining West Ham fans could take away from this game was Frank Lampard received a red card in the 36th minute for a clash with Hammers midfielder Luis Boa Morte.