Tottenham player says he just loves playing against Chelsea

Eric Dier has revealed his love for the rivalry between Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur.

Speaking to Sunil Chhetri, Dier deemed the competition between the two capital city clubs as the best he’s witnessed since signing for Spurs.

Chelsea versus Tottenham

The defender has been a victim of the London derby on several occasions, with wins rarely falling in his corner.

In 14 appearances against Chelsea, the 28-year-old has only been victorious on four occasions, losing nine and drawing three.

Arguably the most infamous match he was involved in earned the ‘Battle of the Bridge’ title, named so for the particularly ferocious nature of the fixture.

Tottenham traveled to Stamford Bridge in May 2016, aware that they were 90 minutes away from either squandering the Premier League title or keeping their dreams alive.

Fail to beat Chelsea and the trophy would miraculously be handed over to Leicester City.

Initially, it appeared Mauricio Pochettino’s men had spoiled the party, for the time being, emerging into a two-goal lead before half-time.

But the Blues had other ideas.

Gary Cahill dragged one back after the interval, before Eden Hazard scored one of the most memorable goals in South West London to level the tie.

Emotions understandably boiled over throughout the match, with Spurs receiving a mere nine yellow cards, one of those dished out to Dier.

They lost their heads and ultimately the English crown.

An adversary for the ages

However, despite being foiled by Chelsea, Dier still held their nosy neighbors in high esteem.

“I always enjoy playing against Chelsea, that’s like for me, my biggest rivalry since I’ve been at Tottenham,” he admitted.

“They are the team that I enjoy playing against the most.”

Regardless of the centre-back’s admission, he surely can’t have enjoyed facing Chelsea this season.

Tottenham have lost to Thomas Tuchel’s team four times since August, conceding eight and scoring none.

Granted, Dier missed both of the Carabao Cup contests through injury, but he failed to prevent the goals from flying in the league.

We promise to go easier on you next time, Eric!

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Nathaniel is a football journalist who graduated from the University of Derby. He has worked at Burton Albion as part of their media team for two years. Nathaniel produces regular articles for the club’s official website and match-day programme. I have covered the 2018 U20 Women’s World Cup in Brittany and have reported from grounds ranging from non-league up to the Premier League.