Top five North London Derbies of the 21st century – Tottenham vs Arsenal

With Tottenham facing Arsenal in the Premier League, we are looking back at 5 of the best North London Derby fixtures from the last 25 years.

North London Derby – Top five Tottenham moments

Here are 5 games between Tottenham and Arsenal since the turn of the century that will live long in the memory of those who were there to see them. Did Arsenal win any of the games we picked? No.

Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal, 22/01/2008

After a draw at The Emirates in the first leg, Tottenham hosted Arsenal at White Hart Lane in the second leg of their League Cup semi-final.

With a place in the cup final on the line, this result was more than any Spurs fans could have dreamed of. The last time Spurs had beaten Arsenal by scoring five was in 1983.

Goals from Jermaine Jenas, Robbie Keane, Aaron Lennon and Steed Malbranque were capped off with an own goal from Nickas Bendtner. The win was made all the sweeter by Spurs going on to beat Chelsea in the final.

Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham, 29/10/2008 – The craziest North London Derby

It may seem odd to include a draw in this list, but this game deserves it. The scoring was opened in the 13th minute by David Bentley scoring one of the most outrageous volleys the Premier League has ever seen.

Chesting down a layoff from Jermaine Jenas, Bentley hits the ball from just outside the centre circle, sailing over Almunia’s outstretched arm.

Arsenal then took control of the game, storming to a 3-1 lead. Just after Arsenal’s third, Tom Huddlestone drilled a shot from well outside of the penalty area, which Almunia could only parry into the path of the onrushing Darren Bent. Merely two minutes after that, Robin van Persie restored Arsenal’s two-goal cushion. From 3-1 to 4-2 was achieved in the space of 4 minutes.

Arsenal maintained this lead into the final minutes of the match. In the 89th minute, Jermain Jenas carried the ball from right midfield to the edge of the penalty area where he unleashed a left-foot curled shot that Almunia had no chance of reaching.

It was a spectacular strike but felt like a consolation goal. Finally, in the 94th minute, a long goal kick from Spurs bounced back and forth until it reached Luka Modric who volleyed a shot from, once again, well outside the penalty area.

It lobbed Almunia, who was not even far off his line, but struck the post. Fortunately, Aaron Lennon was rushing in and tapped home the loose ball. More than a North London Derby, it was an all-time Premier League fixture.

Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham, 20/11/2010

Despite Arsenal moving into the Emirates in 2006, Spurs were not able to secure a win there until 2010. Arsenal surged into a 2-0 lead, but at half-time, Aaron Lennon was replaced by Jermain Defoe. The change resulted in a Gareth Bale goal shortly after the restart. A raised arm from Cesc Fabregas led to a penalty converted by Rafael van de Vaart.

The equaliser was followed by Van de Vaart notoriously shushing the Arsenal fans behind the goal. The game remained tied until the 85th minute when Younes Kaboul met a freekick unmarked to steer a header beyond Lukas Fabianski for Spurs’ first win at Arsenal since 1993.

Arsenal 0-2 Tottenham, 19/12/2018

League wins are great, but there is something especially satisfying about knocking your rivals out of the cup. Spurs were facing Arsenal in the quarter-finals of the Carabao Cup.

Tottenham under Mauricio Pochettino managed to finish above Arsenal a few times in the Premier League table. There was a far greater sense of equality between the two sides than in previous fixtures. Arsenal were dominant, having a greater share of possession and more attempted shots.

However, Spurs scored two goals that cut through Arsenal’s team like butter. Arsenal worked an attack which resulted in Paulo Gazzaniga kicking the ball long. It was collected by Dele who turned and played a ball through to Heung-min Son who scored a quintessential Son goal, beating the offside trap and slotting past Petr Cech.

The second goal was similar but arguably better. Arsenal pressed the Spurs defence into passing backwards to Gazzaniga who once again clipped the ball to the centre of the pitch. Harry Kane chests the ball down, turns and floats a classic Kane-long-ball over the sparse Arsenal defence to Dele. He was one-on-one with Cech and he finishes by lobbing the Arsenal goalkeeper with the outside of his foot. Two goals back-to-front in a matter of seconds.

Tottenham 3-0 Arsenal, 12/5/2022

There have been other North London Derby wins for Spurs across the years, but this match felt like one of the most comprehensive victories.

The scoring opened with Dejan Kulusevski swinging a ball towards the back post where Cedric Soares nudged Son as he attempted to meet the cross. The nudge was without any intention to play the ball himself so a penalty was given and Harry Kane put it away routinely.

Shortly afterwards, Rob Holding was booked for a foul. In the 33rd minute, Eric Dier played a long ball forward to Son who was elbowed/shoulder-charged by Holding. This resulted in a second yellow and from here on in, Spurs were in control.

A Son corner was eventually met by Rodrigo Bentancur, who flicked the ball on before it was nodded home with a stooping header from Harry Kane. Just after the second half kicked off, Son struck after the ball came loose in the box, lifting his shot around Ramsdale who was well off of his line.

The performance was imperious, but it was made even better because the result was a significant one as Spurs earned a Champions League spot ahead of Arsenal at the end of the season.

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