Joe Cole does not need long to recount some of his cherished memories of clashes with Arsenal as a Chelsea player. Casting his mind back 17 years to December of 2005, when he nonchalantly shoved Sol Campbell to the floor and guided a curling effort beyond the grasp of Jens Lehmann at Highbury.
One of the stars of this great Chelsea team under Jose Mourinho, Cole's victory parade was halted after the full-time whistle. "I got drug tested after the game. I thought I was the bee's knees, and everyone was waiting for me. By the time I finished and got back to the dressing room at Highbury and they'd all left on the coach, I had to go and get a cab outside by myself, bringing me back down to earth!"
That charming anecdote reflects on a period when Chelsea began to turn the tide on their North London counterparts. Dethroning Arsene Wenger's Invincibles in the 2004/05 campaign, they would then go on to finish above The Gunners consistently over the next 15 years. It is unlikely Mason Mount will likely endure the same fate should he repeat Cole's feat this Sunday.
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"I got a lot of respect for Arsenal Football Club," Cole tells football.london when asked to look ahead to the weekend's fixture at Stamford Bridge. "I'm a lad from Kentish Town in London so right bang in Arsenal territory. We had a great rivalry with them.
"That Champions League quarter-final where Wayne Bridge scored was a real turning point in Chelsea's history and in Arsenal's history because they had a wonderful team and we had a young, hungry team who went on to eventually do some fantastic things.
"But we knew they were the better side at that time and we needed to find a way to win and we did." Cole says on that iconic night in the club's history. "That was the changing of the guard. Since then Chelsea have been incredibly successful and Arsenal not as successful as they would've liked."
The power balance in the fixture has been heavily weighted in Chelsea's favour, particularly those at Stamford Bridge where Arsenal failed to win a game in almost a decade between 2013-2020. But they walk into Sunday's fixture not only enjoying the momentum as league leaders, but also having won on their last two visits to the Bridge.
Graham Potter aims to be only the second Premier League coach to defeat Mikel Arteta this term after Erik Ten Hag did so with Manchester United in September. The former Brighton boss got the better of Arteta in their last encounter back in April, but has seen Chelsea fail to win in their last three league games.
"We're at a crossroads now," Cole says of Sunday. "Where are we now? That's why this game I think is poised. Arsenal have re-emerged as contenders. There's been a changing of the guard at Chelsea, I think this game on the weekend is really, really interesting. But underlying all of that stuff, it's a London derby, and the fans, and I used to love these games. You can't be a football lover, and a lad from London and not love these games, they're brilliant."
Watch Chelsea v Arsenal in the Premier League exclusively live on BT Sport 1 from 11.30am on Sunday 6th November. For more info, visit btsport.com
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