I played in Arsenal vs Tottenham and Newcastle vs Sunderland – but one ferocious derby trumps them all
Tottenham’s rivalry with Chelsea is bigger than the north London derby – and it isn’t even close.
That is the view of ex-Spurs striker Darren Bent, who has had his say on what the fiercest matches from his career were.
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Bent is no stranger to scoring in some of England’s biggest derbiesCredit: RexThe 40-year-old is no stranger to playing in some of UK’s biggest games, having scored in the north London, Tyne-Wear and East Anglian derbies.
His goal in the 4-4 draw away at Arsenal in October 2008 remains one of the Premier League’s greatest games – a match that will live long in the memory of Tottenham supporters.
However it was Spurs’ clashes with the Blues that has been given the nod, due to the intensity and hatred from the fans and players.
His opinion comes after Troy Deeney insisted that Aston Villa’s derby with Birmingham is the biggest in England – a claim that shocked talkSPORT host Simon Jordan.
Bent never played in the heated Midlands clash during his four-year spell at Villa Park due to the Blues being in the Championship.
Speaking on talkSPORT Drive, the ex-Sunderland and Ipswich marksman reflected on all the major rivalries from his 17-year career.
He said: “I’ve played in Ipswich vs Norwich, Tottenham vs Arsenal, Sunderland vs Newcastle and Derby vs [Nottingham] Forest.
“When I think about the derbies, Spurs vs Arsenal was fantastic, [but] at that particular time, Arsenal were just so advanced of where we were.
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Bent believes Spurs vs Chelsea was the biggest derby he experiencesCredit: AFP
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That’s despite scoring against his beloved Arsenal for TottenhamCredit: Rex
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Bent also scored for Sunderland against Newcastle in the Tyne-Wear derbyCredit: Getty”We celebrated a point like we had won the game, because they were that good.
“But when it comes to grudges and confrontation and that real anger, Chelsea vs Spurs was ridiculous, I promise you.”
Troy Deeney shocks Simon Jordan as he calls Aston Villa vs. Birmingham City a bigger rivalry than Arsenal vs. Tottenham Hotspur
He continued: “It was always mad at Stamford Bridge. Arsenal and Spurs are a rivalry [because they’re so close to each other].
“But I always felt a little bit more needle from supporters and players was always Chelsea, they were the games you go, ‘Ooh’.”
And it was his strike away at Chelsea in the 1-1 draw in the 2008/09 season that means the most to him.
The ex-England international remarked: “I enjoyed all of them, [but] scoring at Stamford Bridge for Spurs was always a good one because of the rivalry.”
Bent then gave his view as to why Deeney chose the Second City derby as his biggest.
To which he said: “He’s from Birmingham, he’s a Birmingham fan! I think that’s probably why.
“I would have loved to have played in that derby, but I was lucky enough to play in some really good ones.”
