Opening day derbies
Who has the best record in derbies played as the season opener?
The 2024-25 season is well and truly under way.
Already we’ve had London derbies with Brentford beating Crystal Palace 2-1 in the Premier League, while all of Palace’s opening three matches have been against other London teams.
Arsenal have kicked off their campaigns with derbies 15 times in total, winning 10.1 The most recent was a 2-0 win at Crystal Palace on 5 August 2022, courtesy of a Gabriel Martinelli strike and a Marc Guéhi own goal.
The first time Arsenal faced another London side to begin the season was on 29 August 1925, when Tottenham Hotspur snuck a 1-0 victory at Highbury.
This match was particularly notable as it was the first time a certain Herbert Chapman had led Arsenal out as manager - and against his old club, too.
The only other London teams to have beaten Arsenal in opening-day fixtures are West Ham United and Brentford, both winning 2-0. The Hammers triumphed at the Emirates on 9 August 2015, while Brentford marked their return to the top flight for the first time since 1947 with a win over the Gunners on 13 August 2021.
A quick shout out to Paul Merson, the only player I’ve found who scored in three opening day derbies: versus Wimbledon in 1988 and 1990 (won 3-0 and 5-12 respectively) and versus Queens Park Rangers in 1991 in a 1-1 draw.
I’ve also found data on Chelsea’s opening-day derbies. The Blues have had a more mixed history, winning six and drawing five of 13 games. Coincidentally, Chelsea’s first opening-day London derby was also against Spurs, and also resulted in a home defeat, this time 3-1.
This doesn’t include seven opening-day derbies in wartime campaigns.
This game also featured a hattrick for Alan Smith.