North-London derby – Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal: 5 things we learned!

Spurs win the last North-London derby at White Hart Lane

The last ever North-London derby at White Hart Lane today ended with a 2-0 victory for Tottenham as they beat their rivals Arsenal.

The result means that for the first time since 1995, Tottenham will finish higher than Arsenal in the Premier League, and in the short-term, they have kept the pressure on Premier League leaders Chelsea at the top.

We had more Tottenham players in our combined XI ahead of this game, and they are the team that have come out on top today, and you can read that here.

There is just one game left at White Hart Lane for Tottenham before they move to their Wembley next season and then their new stadium in 2018, which is Manchester United at home.

But for today, it was a glorious win for Tottenham as they beat their local rivals thanks to goals from Dele Alli and Harry Kane. Here are 5 things we learned from Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal.

1) A shift in North-London power

Arsenal have ruled the roost in North-London for over 20 years, ever since Arsene Wenger arrived. Spurs have had to watch for the last 2 decades as Arsenal have constantly qualified for the Champions League, won league titles and, most importantly, finished above them. But now it’s Tottenham’s time, they are starting to take control as Arsenal slip further away from the top 4 this season. Are Tottenham finally becoming the biggest club in North-London after all these years?

2) Arsenal’s away blues continue

Arsenal just cannot buy an away win against the big teams at the moment. They got a draw away at Old Trafford this season but have lost at Anfield, White Hart Lane, the Etihad and Stamford Bridge this year. Their form in these games just isn’t good enough, it’s now looking unlikely that they’ll finish in the top 4 this season, but what did they expect if they aren’t getting any points out of the games against their rivals?

3) Petr Cech is still absolutely world-class

The Arsenal goalkeeper may have been beaten twice today, but he also pulled off two fantastic saves during the course of the match which stopped the score getting embarrassing for the Gunners. He’s been criticised by Arsenal fans this season and many have claimed his ability is on the decline, but based on his performance today, he’s still right up there with the world’s best.

4) But they need a reshuffle almost everywhere else

I think it’s been clear for a while that Arsenal are miles away from challenging for the Premier League title again. It’s been obvious that they carry far too many ‘passengers’ in their team, and whether or not Arsene Wenger stays at the end of this season, they need 6, 7, maybe even 8 new starting players to start competing again, because at the moment they are no where near the level of Chelsea, Tottenham and Liverpool. Alexis Sanchez needs to stay, but almost everywhere else on the pitch, reinforcements need to be brought in.

5) Poch + Alli + Kane = A winning formula

As long as these three remain at the club, Tottenham are going places. The manager is world class, perhaps the best in the league, and Kane and Alli are perhaps the most exciting English talents for a decade. These three figures are going to be key to Spurs becoming a ‘superclub’ over the next few years, both domestically and in Europe.

What did you make of the North-London derby today? Was it a fair result? Let us know!

By Ben Kelly – @benkelly_10