TOP 5: North London Derbies at Emirates
SillySeason take a look back at some classic Arsenal/Tottenham Hotspur matches at the Emirates
This weekend sees Arsenal host their long-running local-rivals Tottenham Hotspur at the Emirates Stadium, so SillySeason thought it would be a great idea to look back at some memorable matches played out between the two.
Obviously there have been some classic North London Derbies at Highbury and also at White Hart Lane, but today we are going to solely focus on ones that were played at the Emirates Stadium.
So without further ado, here are our Top-Five North London Derbies from the Emirates Stadium.
5) Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham Hotspur – December 2006
Back in 2006, Tottenham Hotspur absolutely collapsed in the North London Derby just before half-time.
Robin van Persie gave the hosts the lead on the 42nd mark, before Cesc Fabregas doubled the lead exactly one-minute later after stealing the ball off Spurs straight from kick-off.
It was a nightmare period for Tottenham as they all-but lost the game in the space of 60-seconds and this is why this derby is nicknamed ‘The One-Minute Derby.’
A second-half strike from Van Persie made it 3-0 to Arsenal on the hour mark and it gave the Gunners the bragging rights and all three points.
4) Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur – November 2010
The following season, it looked like Arsenal had all three points wrapped up against their local-rivals once again, but a superb second-half comeback from Spurs turned the game on it’s head.
Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh had given the Gunners a 2-0 lead at half-time, but goals from Gareth Bale, Rafael van der Vaart and Younes Kaboul completed the stunning comeback for the Lilywhites.
It was a complete second-half collapse from Arsene Wenger’s side and it was to this day one of Spurs’ best ever North London Derbies.
Fun Fact: None of the goalscorers during this game still play for the same club.
3) Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur – February 2012
The first 5-2. Yes there were two.
Going into the game, Arsenal were in poor form and Spurs were playing some great football, so when they rushed into a 2-0 lead, it looked like they were going to pick up all three points.
However, a stunning comeback from Arsenal, with two goals just before half-time, saw the teams go in level at 2-2.
The second-half was all Arsenal and they added a further three goals to ensure an emphatic 5-2 victory.
Tomas Rosicky and a Theo Walcott brace in the second-half sealed the win for Arsenal.
This was the first…..
2) Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham Hotspur – November 2012
…and here is the second!
Just nine months later, Arsenal were at it again. Another 5-2.
Once again they went a goal down when Emmanuel Adebayor gave Spurs the lead, but goals from Per Mertesacker, Lukas Podolski and Olivier Giroud sent the Gunners 3-1 up at half-time.
Santi Cazorla and Theo Walcott added to Arsenal’s tally, while Gareth Bale scored a consolation goal for Spurs.
Another 5-2, but not our number-one derby at the Emirates.
1) Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham Hotspur – October 2008
The third North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League played host to an epic eight-goal thriller.
It all started well for Spurs as David Bentley somehow managed to score from near the half-way line, but goals from Mikael Silvestre and William Gallas turned the game on it’s head.
Emmanuel Adebayor then made it 3-1 before Darren Bent pulled one back for Tottenham. However, just minutes later, the two-goal lead was restored thanks to Robin Van Persie.
The game hit the 89th minute mark so it looked all over with the score at 4-2, but oh no, Spurs struck two late goals and went home with a point.
Jermaine Jenas made it 4-3 in the 89th minute before Aaron Lennon made it 4-4 in stoppage time.
An epic game and truly memorable.
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt