North vs South grudge match: Chelsea and Leeds write a new chapter in a historic, hard-edged FA Cup rivalry

North vs South grudge match: Chelsea and Leeds write a new chapter in a historic, hard-edged FA Cup rivalry There are over 200 miles between Leeds and Chelsea , but that hasn't stopped a fierce footballing rivalry between the teams. Chelsea face Leeds United in the FA Cup semi-finals this afternoon, a new chapter in one of the most unusual and intriguing rivalries in English football. For those unfamiliar with the animosity between the teams, it seems odd from the outside.

But rivals are not chosen, they're formed, and the Chelsea-Leeds feud dates back to the sixties, when the teams regularly competed for prizes. Chelsea were the West End party boys of the era, with Leeds the gritty northerners with an uncompromising approach. Two teams whose reputations were world's apart, with a clear dislike for one another, regularly thrust together.

Promotion rivals in 1962/63, it was Chelsea who edged out Leeds to return to the top tier. The Yorkshire side joined them a year later, and by 1964/65, both were competing at the top end. That season saw Leeds finish runners-up to Manchester United, with Chelsea behind in third.

Their emergence as elite teams also kick-started a period of regular cup clashes that took a budding rivalry into a full-blown feud. The teams met in six cup encounters in five years, with a 1967 FA Cup semi-final lighting the touch-paper for an unforgettable meeting in the same competition three years later. Tony Hateley's goal earned Chelsea a 1-0 win, though Leeds were left infuriated after Peter Lorimer's free-kick equaliser was disallowed for being taken too quickly.