Epic! Huge! The biggest ever! Just some of the descriptions of Saturday’s north London derby, but however you describe it there’s no getting away from the importance of this particular clash between two of the Premier League’s biggest rivals.
Talk of a power shift in north London has surfaced in the past, but generally sunk as quickly as it has appeared, the red half of north London able to claim bragging rights and far more trophies over the last 20 years or so.
But finally, Spurs have the chance to fully usurp their neighbours in the league. Before their 5-1 League Cup victory over Arsenal in 2008, they had only won once in all competitions, home or away, since Wenger took charge of the Gunners. Since then, they have enjoyed single successes over their hated rivals, but never have they turned the tide over a whole campaign.
The fact that Spurs have the chance to finish above Arsenal for the first time in over 20 years adds extra spice to what is already a hugely important game in terms of this seasons title-race. Spurs have won four of the last six derbies at White Hart Lane however, and here we take a look at those victories, all of which finished 2-1 before looking ahead to Saturday’s giant of a game…
April 2010
With Arsenal in the title-hunt and looking to catch table-toppers Chelsea, they travelled to White Hart Lane for an evening game against a Spurs side, themselves in the hunt for Champions League qualification.
A young Danny Rose, making a surprise debut, opened the scoring with a 30-yard thunderbolt after 10 mins, Gareth Bale adding a second just after half-time. Despite a late Nicklas Bendtner goal, Spurs survived the onslaught to gain their first league victory over Arsenal since 1999, all but ending their title-aspirations in the process.
Harry Redknapp’s Spurs side went on to qualify for the Champions League for the first time in their history.
October 2011
This game saw former Arsenal player Emmanuel Adebayor face his old side, having joined Spurs on loan from Man City. He didn’t score but he did set up the opener for Rafael van der Vaart. Kyle Walker got the winner with a low powerful shot against a struggling Arsenal side who had been humiliated 8-2 at Old Trafford a few weeks before.
With a side featuring Modric, Bale and the afore-mentioned van der Vaart amongst others, this was the season that Spurs again finished in the top-four, only for Chelsea to go and win the Champions League and deny them a place in the competition.
March 2013
With Gareth Bale at his scintillating best, Spurs, now managed by Andre Villas Boas, overcame the rivals in one of the best north London derbies in modern times. The victory moved them seven points ahead of the Gunners and in to third place in the Premier League although they would eventually finish in fifth, just a point behind their opponents on the day.
First-half goals from Gareth Bale – his 20th of the season – and Aaron Lennon were enough to get Spurs the win as they held off an Arsenal revival in the second-half, a rare goal from Per Metersacker soon after the break giving the visitors hope, but ultimately to no avail.
February 2015
Now under the leadership of Mauricio Pochettino, Spurs again triumphed at home as new hero Harry Kane played his first north London derby, grabbing both goals and the headlines.
Outplaying their opponents for much of the game, Spurs actually went one-nil down before displaying the kind of spirit that is quickly becoming synonymous with the side under the Argentine coach. Kane’s winner with four minutes would have taken the roof off White Hart Lane if it had one, and with this victory the hosts moved ahead of their bitter rivals, this game perhaps the start of the shifting of power in north London.
March 2016
And so we come to this seasons encounter at the Lane. Having relished in scuppering Arsenal title-challenges in the past, Spurs are in the unusual situation of actually being in the race for the Premier League themselves.
How this affects them we shall have to wait and see, but given recent results (the West Ham defeat aside) you’d have to favour the home side once again. Form may go out of the window when it comes to local derbies, but only two wins in their last eight games does not bode well for Wenger’s side. But on top of that, the general spirit in both camps couldn’t appear more different.
Spurs look better placed to bounce back from their defeat in the previous game far more than Arsenal do. And with Petr Cech and Laurent Koscielny out for the Gunners, thing’s don’t bode well for a side desperately needing a victory over their neighbours to try and get their title-challenge back on track before it derails completely.