Chelsea welcome Sunderland to Stamford Bridge for the first time in seven years - and 40 years on from a fixture between the sides that was marred by hooliganistic violence View 4 Images Chelsea hooligans invaded the pitch during a now-infamous clash with Sunderland in 1985

This Saturday, Chelsea face Sunderland for the first time since 2017 in a fixture that, to modern fans, doesn't sound particularly blockbuster. ‌

But don't be fooled by the lack of recent bad blood - this matchup has a dark, unlikely rivalry rooted in the brutal height of English football hooliganism back in the 1970s and 80s. What started as chaotic clashes on the terraces escalated into one of the most infamous nights of violence in 1985, where Chelsea thugs injured over 20 police officers and targeted

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