Top 5 North London Derbies in Recent TImes

Top of the morning to yall

It’s the North London Derby this weekend and a good chance to get another one over our less illustrious neighbours. Over the years, Spuds have continuously tried to bridge the gap between themselves and the Arsenal. Last season saw a long battle between the two clubs that went down all the way to the final day of the season and St. Totteringham’s day was finally celebrated by Gooners all over the world.

This season has been no different with the Spurs claiming to having a better team than the Gunners but when both teams met earlier in the season, it was the Gunners that ran riot over Spuds in a second consecutive 5 – 2 win in a calendar year. After Gareth Bale inspired another Tottenham win against West Ham on Monday night, he put up a sign to show that he was coming for Arsenal next.

Coming for A-rsenal?

This has been their inspiration over the past few years. Finishing above Arsenal, it’s an obsession they can’t seem to get over which only proves that they are desperate to come out of our shadows. While they have made impressive forward steps over the years, I still believe that they are still firmly behind the Arsenal and that is regardless of what happens in Sunday’s derby.

But which games stand out in the North London Derby as the best in recent times? Here are my top 5

TOTTENHAM 2 – 2 ARSENAL 25TH APRIL 2004:

The date was 25^th of April and 33 games into the season, Arsenal was yet to lose a single game and was on the cusp of making history. It seemed almost certain that the league title was heading to Highbury and it was only a matter of when and where and what better place to seal an amazing season than the home ground of our North London neighbours, making it the first time we won the league in their backyard since 1971.

We started brightly and by the 3^rd minute we had already gone ahead with Patrick Viera slotting home a Dennis Bergkamp cross. The second goal came just after the half hour mark when Bergkamp again setup Patrick Viera who cut back for Robert Pires to make it 2 nil.

Spuds fought back with Jamie Redknapp scoring from distance and Robbie Keane scoring a late leveller from the penalty spot. But all that was not to matter as Arsenal claimed its third title under Arsene Wenger and they did it without being beaten and above all, won the league right at Tottenham’s backyard. The good memories don’t get better than that.

We win the league at White Hart Lane

TOTTENHAM 1 – 3 ARSENAL 15^TH SEPTEMBER 2007

This one went down at White Hart Lane. The season was in its second month and teams were still yet to fully get their groove on. Spurs started brightly and Gareth Bale scored the opener in the 15^th minute with a well taken free kick + some typical Almunia-ish goalkeeping. The gunners created chance after chance to grab the equalizer in the first half and it only seemed like a matter of time before the visitors were level.

The equalizer came in the second half though. Steed Malbranque fouled Fabregas and from the resulting freekick, Adebayor rose above the Spuds defence to power home a header. Spuds tried to regain the lead but it was Arsenal that got the third goal of the game in the 80^th minute after Fabregas’s crashing drive from long range found the top left corner of Paul Robinson’s goal. It was the Fabregas dynamite. Adebayor was to have the final say in the game with another goal on 90 minutes, a goal will go on to win the goal of the season award and again Fabregas was the architect. He found Adebayor on the edge of the box and with his back to goal, the striker flicked the ball in the air and met it with an amazing volley on the turn. It was an amazing goal and even the staunchest Spud supporter had to stand up to appreciate the goal and ultimately the Arsenal performance. It was indeed first class.

ARSENAL 4 – 4 TOTTENHAM 30^TH OCTOBER 2008

On a fine Wednesday evening in October of 2008, Arsenal and Tottenham took to the lush green of the Emirates in what was going to become one of the most breath-taking derbies of the modern era. It was Harry Redknapp’s first week in charge and he was keen to make a good impression on the Spurs faithful. The game started with both sides testing each other out and not wanting to make any mistakes but the first goal of the game came from former Gunner David Bentley who unleashed a cracking shot from 40 yards into Manuel Almunia’s goal.

The Gunners did not let their heads drop and in the 37^th minute, Arsenal got the equalizer from the most unlikely of players. Mikeal Silvestre; who rose to head in a Van Persie corner. The first half finished and in the first minute of the second half, Arsenal were ahead. This time it was William Gallas that powered home a 

Van Persie freekick. Emmanuel Adebayor scored to extend the lead in the 64^th minute. 

Darren Bent reduced the deficit for Spurs with just his first touch of the game when Tom Huddelstone’s shot fell to him and a minute later, Van Persie restored the 2 goal lead, firing past Gomes from an Adebayor pass. 

It looked all well and truly over as the Gunners tried to play keep ball with their opponents but the Spurs were just ready to give up yet and as the clock wound down to the 89^th minute, Jermaine Jenas found Almunia’s top corner with a swirling shot. 4-3 to the Gunners and all they had to do was to keep the ball and run down the clock but alas! Tottenham was to have the final action in the game with the 94^th minute approaching, Luka Modric shot from outside the area, his shot hit the post and the rebound fell to Lennon who made no mistake as he tapped into an unguarded net. Heartbreak for the gunners but the Spurs fans were delirious and the overall winner was indeed football.

ARSENAL 3 – 0 SPURS 31^ST OCTOBER 2009

What stood out at the end of this game was the 11 seconds between the first 2 Arsenal goals. In fact this game is now popularly known as the 11 seconds derby. Spurs were level on points with us in the league and they arrived with high hopes of upsetting their hosts in the league for the first time since 1999. The game started in typical big game fashion with both sides being cautious and trying not to make any mistake. But fast forward to the 43^rd minute, Eduardo and Sagna worked out space for a cross and as Sagna delivered the cross into the box, Van Persie was quickest to the ball as he guided it into the net. The Emirates was still celebrating as spurs brought the ball back to the centre circle. And as they restarted the game, Van Persie robbed Wilson Palacios in the centre circle fed the ball to Fabregas and the midfielder danced his way through the Spurs defence before firing past the goalkeeper. Exactly 11 seconds were between the 2 goals. Even the replays for the first were still being shown when the second goal was scored.

Van Persie made sure of the points in the second half after getting on the end of another Sagna cross to put the game beyond the Spuds. Another amazing derby, the 11 seconds derby.

ARSENAL 5 – 2 SPURS FEBRUARY 26^TH 2012

Another brilliant derby was played out at the Emirates here. Spurs were flying high in the league and were 10 points ahead of the Gunners going into the game, they bragged and boasted, this was their best team in history and that they would definitely finish above Arsenal in the league for the first time in 17 years. They even had good reason to be confident. In the same fixture the previous season, Tottenham over turned a 2 goal deficit to win 3-2. The first time they have managed a league win in our backyard since 1999. The build-up to the game was tense. With 10 points behind their opponents, Arsenal couldn’t afford to drop points. A loss would mean a 13 point gap will be opened between the 2 teams going into the run-in and it would have been near impossible to catch them.

Despite starting the better of the 2 sides, things went bad for the Gunners as Louis Saha’s shot deflected of Vermaelen and looped over Szczesny in the 4^th minute. Arsenal did not let their heads drop, they took the game to their opponents but when Gareth Bale was sent clear by Modric, he would show off his impressive diving skills by stumbling over from Gibbs close watch. Emmanuel Adebayor would send Szczesny the wrong way to put them 2 goals up.

Half time was approaching and in the 40^th minute, Bacary Sagna would stay in the box after an Arsenal attack and as Mikel Arteta delivered a cross into the box and Sagna powered home a fine header. It was no less than they deserved but they were not done yet for the first half. 3 minutes later, Arsenal will get the equalizer through Van Persie who curled a left footed beauty past Brad Friedel in the Tottenham goal.

Van Persie celebrates his strike against Spurs

Spurs were now a shadow of themselves and the half time break did nothing to instil some needed confidence and the gunners would run riot in the second half through a Tomas Rosciky strike in the 51^st minute and a Theo Walcott brace. Scott Parker would later get his second booking for all his troubles in the afternoon but it was the Gunners faithful singing to high heavens after a thrilling comeback victory after 90minutes. Tottenham will later capitulate and surrender the remaining 7 point lead as the season wore on but that hammering at the Emirates was surely the turning point in the season for both teams.

Those are my top 5 North London Derbies in recent times, you can add yours in the comments section of if you have any other North London memories you will like to share with fellow Gunners. Follow on twitter as well @NigerianGunners and I will be glad to follow back.

Good luck in the Derby tomorrow and God bless the Arsenal.