5 best individual performances in recent London derbies

#5 Robin van Persie vs Chelsea 2011

van Persie took advantage of shoddy defending from Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in 2011

Stamford Bridge has always been one of the toughest places in the Premier League for Arsenal to visit. However, in 2011, with Andre Villas-Boas struggling to implement his tactics at Chelsea, it was Arsenal’s best chance to end their hoodoo.

Robin van Persie equalised for Arsenal as he was set up perfectly to tap in by Gervinho. And after taking a 3-2 lead just after half-time, coming back from 2-1 down, Arsenal then conceded again to Juan Mata, with the scoreline now reading 3-3 in an enthralling London derby.

Then, it was time for van Persie to steal the headlines. Chasing down John Terry, who then slipped, he was through one on one with Petr Cech. He calmly rounded the keeper with ease before tapping into an open goal, giving Arsenal the lead once more.

Finally, on the breakaway at the end of the match, the Dutchman received it just inside the box and smashed it into the top left corner, completing his hat-trick.

Despite van Persie not in the good books of Arsenal fans, a hat-trick against Chelsea at Stamford Bridge is an individual performance they will never forget.