Tottenham’s players now dislike Chelsea more than traditional north London rivals Arsenal, according to Dele Alli.
There have been a number of fierce clashes between the two sides in recent seasons, with the pair regularly competing at the top end of the Premier League and in domestic cups.
Most famously, there was the ‘Battle of Stamford Bridge’ back in 2016.
In that match, Spurs went two goals ahead before Chelsea battled back to draw the game 2-2, handing the title to Leicester City.
The game then became incredibly hot-blooded, with the two sides having a pitchside brawl and then-manager Guus Hiddink getting knocked to the floor.
Meanwhile, Arsenal have fallen down the pecking order and have not come close to challenging Spurs at the top end of the table in recent years.
Alli has now admitted that matches against Chelsea are now more crucial to players than ones against Arsenal.
Speaking to Copa90, Alli said: ‘I think if you ask the fans they will give you a different answer, but as players – the way things have been going with the league and the games – the rivalry with Chelsea is bigger than the one with Arsenal, because of what they have done to us in recent years.
‘For fans it’s different, because the North London derby is massive, but as players I think it’s Chelsea.’
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