Barbaric Chelsea vs Leeds clash should have seen 26 cards and triggered unique rivalry

Despite being 207 miles apart, Chelsea and Leeds United are bound by the unbreakable chains of a rivalry which stretches back decades.

Old rivals do battle on the biggest of stages today, as Chelsea and Leeds face off at Wembley with a place in the FA Cup final up for grabs, live on talkSPORT.

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It is a meeting of two teams of contrasting fortunes, with this the Blues’ first match since Liam Rosenior was sacked on Wednesday.

As for Leeds, they head into the semi-final having all but secured Premier League safety, and are targeting a first FA Cup final appearance since 1973.

Today is just the second time the two sides have met at this stage of the competition, with their only previous encounter coming back in 1967, when the Chelsea claimed a 1-0 win.

But one look at the Leeds fans who have travelled down to London will tell you there is far more behind the animosity than just this.

In the 2003 Football Fans Census, the Elland Road faithful named Chelsea as their second-biggest rivals, behind Manchester United.

So where does the vitriol and genuine dislike come from?

Beginnings of a bitter feud

Many fans would point to the brutal 1970 FA Cup Final (more on that later) as the genesis of this bitter feud which transcends location.

But it was the 1960s when the rivalry began as the two sides started to simmer along nicely with both enjoying renaissances of sorts.

Don Revie built Leeds into an incredible machine by the end of the decade, while Tommy Docherty led a revolution at Stamford Bridge.

During the 1964/65 season, Chelsea and Leeds were locked in a three-way tussle for the First Division title and the two sides met in a bruising affair at Stamford Bridge in September.

A reporter for the Yorkshire Evening Post remarked: “‘Never mind the ball’ seemed to be the order of the day as scything, irresponsible tackles ruffled tempers.”

Bobby Collins was involved in a running battle with Ron ‘Chopper’ Harris, while Eddie McCreadie left Leeds’ Johnny Giles crumpled in a heap to reduce the visitors to ten-men.

Two years later, the sides met in another brutal game in the fourth round of the FA Cup which saw Chelsea progress, but only after their young side took a proverbial beating from Leeds.

The following season, Chelsea again knocked Leeds out of the FA Cup, but this time at the semi-final stage at Villa Park.

Clive Batty, who wrote Kings of the King’s Road: The Great Chelsea Team of the 60s & 70s, described the tackling as ‘frighteningly ruthless’.

Leeds goalkeeper Gary Sprake kicked Chelsea midfielder John Boyle in the face, with the Yorkshire side gaining further revenge when they trounced the Blues 7-0 at Elland Road in the league fixture.

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Infamous FA Cup final

The game which really cemented the rivalry was the 1970 FA Cup final, which ended in a draw and needed a replay – the first in the final since 1912.

Played at Old Trafford, it attracted a UK television audience of 28million, making it the sixth-most watched television broadcast in British history.

But the game itself would go down in infamy for the barbarism and violence on display.

‘Chopper’ Harris rendered Eddie Gray practically useless with his scything tackles, Jack Charlton kneed and headbutted Peter Osgood, Ian Hutchinson and Norman Hunter had a fist-fight and McCreadie flattened Billy Bremner with a ‘kung fu’ kick.

David Elleray, who later officiated in the Premier League, reviewed the game years later and determined he would have issued SIX red cards and TWENTY yellow cards.

It did not help the on-pitch rivalry that tensions off the pitch were also simmering towards boiling point.

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The ‘North vs South’ divide in the country played a huge role, with the two teams seen as embodying this.

Chelsea were regarded as the flamboyant socialites from the King’s Road, while Leeds epitomised the cynical and ‘dirty’ reputation which their squad had, perhaps incorrectly, accrued over the years.

John King wrote in the New Statesmen: “Leeds were… portrayed as dour Yorkshiremen with a reputation for playing dirty… Chelsea, on the other hand, were the wide boys of London, dedicated followers of fashion.

“While Leeds were drinking tea and playing cards, Chelsea were out boozing and chasing girls [but] when it came to games between the two, however, war was declared.”

Rivalry remains

As the 1980’s arrived, football hooliganism reared its ugly head as the two sides entered a period of decline which coincided with nastier battles off the pitch.

When Leeds joined Chelsea in the Second Division in 1982, 153 hooligans were arrested after fighting erupted at the tube station at Piccadilly Circus, with a further 60 arrests around Stamford Bridge.

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In April 1984, Chelsea smashed Leeds 5-0 to clinch promotion back to the First Division; several fan invasions took place and a section of Leeds supporters destroyed the Stamford Bridge scoreboard.

The Premier League era resulted in more X-rated tackles and brawls on the pitch.

In December 1997 Gary Kelly and Alf-Inge Haaland saw red for Leeds to join a further eight players in the book during a rather feisty 0-0 draw.

A bad-tempered League Cup tie in 2001 saw Chelsea progress thanks to a 2-0 win. But it came at a cost to the Blues as Graeme Le Saux was stretchered off after being hit in the face by Alan Smith.

The last meeting at Elland Road between the two sides before Leeds’ 2020 Premier League promotion came in the 2012/13 League Cup, with Chelsea running out 5-1 winners in front of 33,816 fans.

The Whites’ return to the top-flight in recent years has brought about more fiercely-contested clashes.

Since 2020, Chelsea have edged the head-to-head with five wins, while Leeds have won twice, one of which came earlier this season as they claimed a 3-1 win at Elland Road.

But league form and recent events will go out of the window under the Wembley arch today, with history ensuring both teams are well aware of just how much this game means to their fans.