One can say that any moment of a North London Derby is worth remembering, especially for the two fanbases, though undeniably some moments are more memorable than others.
Ahead of the next North London Derby, in this article, we present to you our top 5 unforgettable moments that have come about during Arsenal taking on Tottenham.
Any game involving nine goals inevitably becomes an all-timer regardless of how the goals are shared. Here, in a North London Derby no less, both sides went toe-to-toe.
Spurs drew first blood as Noureddine Naybet opened the proceedings in the 36th minute, but Thierry Henry levelled for Arsenal just before the half-time whistle. In the second half, the Gunners went two goals ahead courtesy of Lauren and captain Patrick Vieira, though Jermain Defoe pulled one back within a minute of their third goal. Freddie Ljungberg restored Arsenal’s two-goal advantage in the 69th minute, and again Spurs drifted close with a 73rd-minute Ledley King strike. Robert Pirès then scored a fifth for Arsenal, and even though Spurs again clawed one back in the 88th minute, they just didn’t hve enough left in the tank to level things up.
Simply put, a breathless affair.
Arsenal’s “invicible” campaign of 2003/04 is rightfully remembered for many a reason, and in retrospect the season feels even sweeter given Arsenal secured the title at White Hart Lane, of all places.
On the day, captain Vieira set the tone with his third-minute strike, before his compatriot Pirès slotted home a second later in the first half. Spurs would go on to level the proceedings, with Robbie Keane slotting home a penalty right at the death, but it wasn’t enough to end the Gunners’ undefeated run, and certainly not enough to take the title away from them.
Tottenham ended a 17-year wait in this encounter as they came from behind to win at Arsenal’s home ground. After goals from Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh had put the hosts two goals clear at half time, Rafael van der Vaart almost ran a one-man show in the second half for the guests, assiting both Gareth Bale‘s 50th-minute opener for Spurs and Younes Kaboul’s 85th-minute winner on either side of his 67th-minute penalty to complete a memorable turn-around win.
Another all-timer. It’s bad enough to not win a local derby after being in front; it’s even worse when one of the goals from the other side comes from someone who used to be one of your own.
David Bentley, once of Arsenal, did not have many exceptional moments for Spurs as his career wound down rapidly, but he certainly had one here as he opened the scoring with a sumptuous 13th-minute strike. Arsenal, then, took hold of the proceedings, scoring the next three goals before Spurs pulled one back via Darren Bent in the 67th minute, only for Robin van Persie to restore the home side’s two-goal advantage inside 60 seconds. Arsenal were leading 4-2 with less than two minutes of regulation time remaining when Jermaine Jenas pulled one back for the Lilywhites and Aaron Lennon drew Spurs level deep in injury time.
This North London Derby victory was very sweet at the time for Spurs. It felt even sweeter in a few weeks’ time. Now, though, looking back, even though it still feels good, there is some bitterness thrown into the mix.
Tottenham’s 5-1 victory in the semi-final second leg of the 2007/08 League Cup remains their best North London Derby result in this millenium (the first leg ended 1-1). This, of course, was also the competition they went on to win, which also remains the last competitive trophy they ever won.
What do you make of our picks for top 5 unforgettable moments that have come about during Arsenal taking on Tottenham? Did we miss any? Let us know in the comments.
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