Story Of Spurs-Chelsea Rivalry  (Sky Sports)

Tottenham face old foes Chelsea live on Sky Sports on Wednesday night, but what's the story behind the rivalry?

It's the second time the London clubs have met in the space of a few weeks after Chelsea ended Tottenham's unbeaten start to the season with a 2-1 win at Stamford Bridge in November.

The encounter evokes memories of the Battle of the Bridge at the end of last season, but the origins of the rivalry date back to the 1960s…

The Cockney Cup Final

The 1967 FA Cup final between Chelsea and Tottenham was dubbed the Cockney Cup Final as it was the first to be contested by two teams from London. For Spurs, 2-1 victors on the day, it was the fifth time they had won the competition.

They won it thanks to goals from Jimmy Robertson and Frank Saul, with Chelsea unable to complete a comeback despite a late strike from Bobby Tambling. The result was all the more difficult to take for the Blues as Tottenham's team featured ex-Chelsea duo Jimmy Greaves and Terry Venables. A bitter rivalry was born.

Spurs send Chelsea down

The rivalry intensified in the 1974/75 season, when Spurs and Chelsea found themselves embroiled in a frantic battle to avoid relegation from the old First Division.

The two sides met in the third-last game of the season at White Hart Lane, with the north Londoners sitting a point below Chelsea in the relegation zone. It was a crucial game, and Spurs claimed the win they needed, with goals from Alfie Conn and Steve Perryman clinching a 2-0 win.

Chelsea were duly relegated after drawing their last two games of the campaign, while Tottenham clinched survival with a 4-2 win over Leeds United on the final day. It was the first time the Blues had suffered relegation from the top flight in 13 years - and it owed a lot to their old rivals.

Chelsea's ascendancy

The tables turned at the start of the 1990s, with Chelsea enjoying an extraordinary period of dominance over their city rivals, starting with a 3-2 win at Stamford Bridge in December of 1990.

Over the next 16 years, Chelsea did not lose a single league game against Spurs. The run included some unforgettable wins for the Blues, including a 6-1 thrashing at White Hart Lane in 1997 and 4-0 victory at Stamford Bridge in 2002.

Spurs end hoodoo

Spurs finally ended the hoodoo with a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane in November 2006. Martin Jol's side fell behind when Claude Makelele fired in a superb volley, but they overturned the deficit thanks to goals from Michael Dawson and Aaron Lennon.

Jose Mourinho's side had captain John Terry sent off for his second bookable offence in the closing stages, but Spurs still had to survive some hairy moments, with Arjen Robben striking an upright and Frank Lampard and Salomon Kalou also going close.

Contrasting cup finals

In 2008 and 2015, Spurs and Chelsea went head-to-head in two domestic cup finals. The first went the north Londoners' way, with Jonathan Woodgate scoring an extra-time winner to clinch League Cup glory for Juande Ramos' side after Dimitar Berbatov had cancelled out Didier Drogba's opener.

It was Tottenham's first piece of silverware since they won the same competition in 1999, but it was a bitter blow to Chelsea, who ended that season as Premier League runners-up and also lost the Champions League final to Manchester United on penalties.

Seven years later, however, Chelsea claimed their revenge when the two sides met in another League Cup final. John Terry scored the opener in first-half stoppage time, and the Blues doubled their lead when Diego Costa's effort was deflected into his own net by Kyle Walker after the break.

The Battle of the Bridge

With just three games of last season remaining, Tottenham made the short trip to Stamford Bridge knowing anything less than a win against their old rivals would hand the title to Leicester City.

They looked on course for a valuable victory when Harry Kane and Heung-Min Son scored in the first half, but Chelsea battled back to draw 2-2 in a stormy second period, with Gary Cahill netting their first goal before Eden Hazard's spectacular late equaliser.

Tempers boiled over on a number of occasions over the course of the game, with referee Mark Clattenburg showing a record 12 yellow cards - nine to Spurs and three to Chelsea.

There was a mass brawl shortly before half-time and another in the closing stages of the game, with Mousa Dembele receiving a retrospective ban for gouging Diego Costa's eye. Chelsea and Spurs were fined £375,000 and £225,000 respectively for failing to control their players.