Saturday’s 12.45pm kick-off in the Premier League is the not insignificant matter of a North London derby. The Seven Sisters neighbours have an undeniable distaste for one another and the rivalry seems - from the outside at least - to have gone up a gear as Tottenham Hotspur have edged closer to Arsenal and established themselves as regular contenders for the fifth, and now fourth, in the league. Here’s a nostalgic look back at the last four league meetings of these sides at the Emirates and Highbury.
Arsenal 3-0 Spurs, 31.10.2009
Arsenal shoved the cocky words of Robbie Keane back down his throat with a 3-0 thumping. Spurs started reasonably well but with half time approaching they “committed suicide”, according to manager Harry Redknapp. Dutch forward Robin Van Persie opened the scoring after pouncing on an error by Heurelho Gomes. From the restart, Wilson Palacios quickly gave the ball away and Cesc Fabregas ambled up the park to make it 2-0. Arsenal’s third, scored again by Van Persie, resulted from the Spurs defence not playing to the whistle and Bacary Sagna taking advantage of…erm…the advantage to humiliate Arsenal’s rivals.
Arsenal 4-4 Spurs, 29.10.2008
The previous encounter between these two sides at the Emirates ended all square but it was Spurs who celebrated after a dramatic evening (I was at a game elsewhere that night and it was sodding freezing). David Bentley’s fantastic strike early on should arguably have been dealt with better by Manuel Almunia, but the Gunners made amends by roaring back in style. Gomes was again at fault for the first of two Van Persie set pieces that found their way into the net courtesy of finishes from Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas either side of the break.
A barnstorming second half came to life when Emmanuel Adebayor made it 3-1 to Arsenal just after the hour mark and Darren Bent quickly reduced the difference back to one. After playing a crucial part in all three Arsenal goals, Van Persie thumped in the fourth himself and Arsenal looked home and hosed only for Spurs to score two in the last two minutes to secure a late point. Jermaine Jenas’ goal was an impressive effort and Aaron Lennon was in the right place at the right time to equalise after a Luka Modric shot hit the post. And yes, Spurs did release a DVD to mark the occasion.
Arsenal 2-1 Spurs, 22.12.2007
A lunchtime Premier League kick-off saw Arsenal take the points thanks to a disastrous three or four minutes to Spurs. After a goalless first half, Adebayor finished smartly past Paul Robinson to put Arsenal ahead after 48 minutes. Keane crashed his shot against the crossbar in the hunt for an equaliser, but Dimitar Berbatov had no such trouble. The Bulgarian was set up by Keane and roofed it - as the Americans say - with significant aplomb. With just under 20 minutes to go, Spurs botched a golden opportunity to take the lead. Keane’s penalty lacked any conviction after Berbatov had been fouled by Kolo Toure.
Regular readers will know that I’m a forthright advocate of Arsenal’s Danish striker Nicklas Bendtner (as is the player himself, of course), and he suckerpunched Tottenham in this festive battle. He replaced Emmanuel Eboue after 74 minutes and headed in the winner with his first touch just seconds later.
Arsenal 3-0 Spurs, 02.12.2006
In another December clash, Arsenal swept Spurs aside in 2006 with a little help from everybody’s favourite triple-yellow-carding referee. Thierry Henry was absent but Graham Poll gave Arsenal two penalties. The first was a 50-50 decision given against Pascal Chimbonda for a foul on Tomas Rosicky, the second against Jenas for a foul on Van Persie. Spurs felt neither should have been given (Van Persie appeared to handle the ball before being fouled), but Gilberto Silva gave them no quarter and beat Paul Robinson twice from the spot.
Spurs boss Martin Jol was visibly angered by the decisions but ultimately gracious in defeat. Adebayor had already given Arsenal a first half lead, and Jol agreed that Spurs’ performance deserved nothing more than it earned.
Arsenal 1-1 Spurs, 21.04.2006
Earlier that year, Spurs missed out on the chance to win the last North London derby at Highbury in a heated encounter which saw Jol and Arsene Wenger involved in a petty clash on the sidelines. After a good first half Spurs got their rewards when Keane tapped home from Edgar Davids’ ball across goal in the 66th minute. Having left Fabregas and Henry on the bench, Wenger had brought on the big guns just before Tottenham’s goal. A typically brilliant Henry finish saved Arsenal’s blushes six minutes from time.
The major flashpoints of the afternoon centred on Davids. The Dutchman played on with an Arsenal player down, a decision that led directly to Keane’s goal, and also saw red late in the game. His second booking, for a challenge on Fabregas, could well have been a straight red on another day.
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Tags: Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur