With Gonzalo Higuain’s move to Chelsea imminent, there are reports suggesting he could feature against Arsenal, LIVE on talkSPORT, this Saturday should he sign in time.
While Chelsea may have struggled up front this season, there was once a time when this fixture was dominated by one striker, Didier Drogba.
The Ivorian was a consistent thorn in the side of the Gunners, as he bullied and dominated their defence to score eight goals in 12 Premier League matches against them.
talkSPORT.com takes a trip down memory lane to relive each strike.
Chelsea 1-0 Arsenal – August 2005
Despite winning the title in his first season with Chelsea, Drogba initially found life tough at Stamford Bridge. Beginning his second campaign with two goals against Arsenal in the Community Shield, Drogba would open his league account against the same opponents in fortuitous circumstances.
A free-kick from Frank Lampard was curled in and in his attempts to control the ball, it ricocheted off his knee and rolled beneath Jens Lehmann to give Chelsea a first top-flight win over Arsenal since September 1995.
Chelsea 2-1 Arsenal – March 2008
While he did not score in the league against Arsenal during the 2006/07 season, Drogba reminded Arsene Wenger’s side they were still very much on his radar, scoring a brace in the League Cup.
Another double was to be served up a year later, when after falling behind to a Bacary Sagna header, Drogba came to the rescue netting twice in nine minutes to keep Chelsea’s title challenge alive.
Arsenal 0-3 Chelsea – November 2009
Under Carlo Ancelotti, Chelsea were powerful and efficient with Drogba the focal point. Epitomising everything that made the Blues so successful that season, Drogba, as he usually did, reserved his most ruthless display for Arsenal.
His first was an expertly guided effort into the top corner from an Ashley Cole cross and the powerful forward added his second four minutes from the end with a thunderous free-kick.
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal – February 2010
Same season, same scorer. Three months after his destructive showing at the Emirates, Drogba was once again the scourge of Arsenal.
A corner from Florent Malouda was flicked on by John Terry and guess who was waiting at the far post. With half an hour played, a Frank Lampard pass split the Gunners defence and found Drogba, who still had plenty to do, but brushed aside Gael Clcihy with embarrassing ease to fire beyond Manuel Almunia.
Chelsea 2-0 Arsenal – October 2010
Even when he is not at his best, which he was far from here, Drogba still knows where the net is, even if it is from the tightest of angles.
Six minutes before half-time, he provided a clever flick from a Cole cross that somehow found the bottom corner and set Chelsea on their way to another three points in a London derby.