As two of the West London clubs that have spent the most time in the top flight of English football, Chelsea and Fulham are well accustomed to each other.
No iteration of a West London derby has been played as often as this one, but given Chelsea's unprecedented levels of success, it is no surprise that they have been the dominant force in this specific fixture.
Here, Sports Mole takes an in-depth look at the head-to-head record and previous meetings between the two sides.
© Imago
Head-to-head record
Previous meetings: 91
Chelsea wins: 52
Draws: 27
Fulham wins: 12
The first meeting between Chelsea and Fulham came all the way back in 1910, with the Cottagers winning a second division fixture, but the Blues would quickly dominate their neighbours over the following years, losing none of the next 12 head-to-heads - winning eight.
Chelsea did not lose again for another 26 years, until falling to defeat in a fifth round FA Cup replay to Fulham, who themselves would then lose in the semi-finals.
There were no top-flight meetings between the two until 1949, but once they became regular occurrences, Chelsea resumed their dominance, losing just two of the 22 clashes until Fulham were relegated in the late-1960s.
That would be the last time the two West London clubs met in the top flight until 2001, when Fulham surged up the divisions and won promotion to the Premier League thanks to healthy backing from Mohamed Al-Fayed.
In the same year as Fulham's Premier League debut, the most high-profile encounter between the two occurred, when John Terry's solitary goal saw Chelsea win a tense FA Cup semi-final over the Cottagers, before eventually losing in the final to another club from the capital, Arsenal.
The 2004-05 season threw up another important cup tie between the sides, but this time in the League Cup quarter-finals, and when the Blues lifted the trophy under Jose Mourinho, Frank Lampard's late winner at Craven Cottage would have been noted as a critical moment.
More cup drama between them occurred in 2011, when a third-round League Cup tie saw Chelsea edge through on penalties, despite playing with 10 men for the final 40 minutes of regular time and all of extra time, after Alex's red card led to a penalty, which was saved by Ross Turnbull, who had been on the pitch for just four minutes, denying Pajtim Kasami from 12 yards.
Fulham's dismal record against Chelsea carries over into the Premier League too, with just two wins in 34 PL meetings, including none at all at Stamford Bridge.
The Cottagers have not even managed a goal at the Bridge since 2011, when Clint Dempsey's strike earned them a 1-1 draw; 660 minutes of action have passed since.
Despite being a rivalry, the fixture did throw up a nice milestone when they met in December 2006, with Moritz Volz scoring the 15,000th Premier League goal in a 2-2 draw, and the German right-back subsequently donated his £15,000 reward money to local charities during the festive period.
Last 20 meetings
Jan 13, 2024: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Oct 02, 2023: Fulham 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Feb 03, 2023: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Jan 12, 2023: Fulham 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
May 01, 2021: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Jan 16, 2021: Fulham 0-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Mar 03, 2019: Fulham 1-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Dec 02, 2018: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Mar 01, 2014: Fulham 1-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
Sep 21, 2013: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Apr 17, 2013: Fulham 0-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
Nov 28, 2012: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Apr 09, 2012: Fulham 1-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Dec 26, 2011: Chelsea 1-1 Fulham (Premier League)
Sep 21, 2011: Chelsea p0-0 Fulham (League Cup 3rd Round)
Feb 14, 2011: Fulham 0-0 Chelsea (Premier League)
Nov 10, 2010: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Dec 28, 2009: Chelsea 2-1 Fulham (Premier League)
Aug 23, 2009: Fulham 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
May 02, 2009: Chelsea 3-1 Fulham (Premier League)
Last 10 Premier League meetings
Jan 13, 2024: Chelsea 1-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Oct 02, 2023: Fulham 0-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Feb 03, 2023: Chelsea 0-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Jan 12, 2023: Fulham 2-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
May 01, 2021: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Jan 16, 2021: Fulham 0-1 Chelsea (Premier League)
Mar 03, 2019: Fulham 1-2 Chelsea (Premier League)
Dec 02, 2018: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Mar 01, 2014: Fulham 1-3 Chelsea (Premier League)
Sep 21, 2013: Chelsea 2-0 Fulham (Premier League)
Andrew Delaney
