Why Chelsea and Leeds have a rivalry: what happened in 1970 FA Cup final? Ahead of fifth round showdown

The FA Cup fifth round has presented audiences with an eye-catching grudge match between Carabao Cup runners-up Chelsea and Championship promotion hopefuls Leeds United.

While not close together in terms of geographical location, the match is regarded as a huge occasion for both sets of supporters due to the long standing feud between the two clubs - and it all dates back to an FA Cup classic which took place nearly 54 years ago.

Here National World explores the history of Chelsea’s rivalry with Leeds United and why the atmosphere remains feisty to this day.

Why do Chelsea and Leeds have a rivalry?

Leeds United were founded in 1919, 14 years after Chelsea and the pair occasionally played each other in the top two divisions during the first half of the 20th century.

At that time, there was no particular rivalry between the two teams and it was just viewed as a normal game of football. However, that all began to change in the late 1960s as Leeds established themselves as one of the country's leading clubs under the stewardship of legendary manager and club icon Don Revie, who spearheaded the team to their first ever top division title in 1969.

Four seasons before Leeds’ first title, the Blues and the Whites were involved in a three-way title clash with Manchester United, where Matt Busby blessed with the talent of Bobby Charlton and Nobby Stiles lifted the First Division title.

Throughout that period, there was growing resentment from the Stamford Bridge faithful that Leeds were becoming a dirty team in terms of their playing style, while Chelsea saw themselves as a forward thinking attacking team.

In truth, the two were probably more similar both in terms of talent and style than fans of the time would care to admit.

The rivalry had begun to manifest itself during several meetings in the late 1960s and while Leeds often got the better of their London counterparts, Chelsea had begun to establish themselves as something of cup specialists and they famously defeated Leeds in a feisty replay during the late 1960s.

What happened in the 1970 FA Cup final?

The rivalry between Leeds and Chelsea had been brewing for several years, but the two really came to blows in the now famous 1970 FA Cup final which was won by Chelsea in a 2-1 scoreline in extra time after a replay.

The final is described by BBC Sport as a meeting of pure malice between a defeated Leeds United side renowned for having the muscle to match their magnificence and a victorious Chelsea team with flashiness and ferocity in equal measure.

Football was a very different game during this era, before the interference of VAR and it was claimed by referee Michael Oliver in 2020 that the game would have produced as many as 11 red cards. However, the referee on the night, Eric Jennings brandished just one solitary booking to Chelsea’s Hutchinson, who traded punches with Norman Hunter.

"We hated them and they hated us," Hutchinson recalled. Leeds great Johnny Giles acknowledged "a special sort of animosity" between the two sets of players.

When is Chelsea vs Leeds United?

While the rivalry between Chelsea and Leeds United has softened slightly in recent years, it remains a fixture of great importance to both teams, who will want bragging rights and a place in the hat for the FA Cup quarter-final draw.

The two teams meet tonight (28 February) at Stamford Bridge in a game which is scheduled to kick-off at 7.30pm UK time.

The game takes place shortly after the FA Cup draw, which is televised live on ITV4.  Build up to the game with Laura Woods, Eni Aluko and Jobi McAnuff begins at 6.45pm. Fas

Commentary will be provided by Clive Tyldesley and Lee Dixon, with pitchside reporting coming from Becky Ives.