Rivalries come in many shapes and sizes. There are some that are forged in the furnace of elite competition (think Lakers vs Celtics or Sinner vs Alcaraz).
Then there are others that hit closer to home, where battlelines are drawn in the very streets people live in. Local rivalries don’t require parity for a sense of import (though everybody loves the Derby della Madonnina). And the North London derby is certainly no Derby della Madonnina, with Arsenal dominating the ‘rivalry’ with almost sadistic ease. Yet despite that, many neutral observers would count this fixture as the most entertaining on the Premier League roster. Regardless of where these teams are at, you can always count on this fixture for unbridled entertainment. With the latest installment due Sunday, I have decided to count down my personal best North London derbies of the Premier League era.
5. April 1995: Arsenal 1- Tottenham 1
While quite quaint when compared to the goal-scoring exploits of some of the other games on this list, this early Premier League clash was still a great advertisement for the excitement to come. This was a wild end-to-end affair, with David Seaman and Ian Walker doing everything humanly possible to keep clean sheets. But it would ultimately come down to the marquee strikers, as Ian Wright opened the scoring with a pen before Jurgen Klinsmann equalized with a precise header. The German striker would ultimately win the Football Writer’s Footballer of the Year, helping Spurs to finish above Arsenal (a feat that they wouldn’t repeat until 2017).
4. November 2010: Arsenal 2- Tottenham 3
This was a rare moment of away-day joy for Spurs against the Gunners. In fact, this remains their sole away win at the Emirates. But what a win it was! Harry Rednapp’s men looked like they were in for a long afternoon after Nasri and Chamakh gave the Gunners a 2-0 halftime lead. But Spurs came out in inspirational form in the 2nd half, with Gareth Bale and Rafael Van der Vaart pulling Spurs level. Younes Kaboul then etched himself into cult-hero immortality, rising to head home the winner in the 85th minute. They gallantly held on for the rarest of collector’s items (they have routinely been destroyed at both Highbury and the Emirates).
3. November 2004: Tottenham 4- Arsenal 5
Famously derided as a hockey score by arch-pragmatist Jose Mourinho, this 4-5 thriller remains the highest-scoring North London derby in history. Why isn’t this goal-fest higher on the list? I think the scoreline- bombastic as it was- was the most interesting thing in this match. This was a scrappy affair with calamitous defending at both ends of the pitch. So, in short, it was a pure derby (composure and reason often get abandoned in these clashes). The first half was relatively sedate, with the sides going into the break level at one goal apiece. But the floodgates opened in the 2nd half, with Robert Pires and Jermaine Defoe scoring the pick of seven 2nd half strikes. There was never much intrigue, with Spurs scoring in the dying moments to make it 5-4. Still, you can’t ignore nine goals, can you?
2. May 2004: Tottenham 2- Arsenal 2
This may well be the most traumatic North London derby in Spurs’ history (and that’s saying something). On the surface, this should been a decent day for Spurs supporters. Arsenal enjoyed a 2-0 halftime lead courtesy of goals from Viera and Pires. But a goal from Jamie Redknapp gave Spurs hope, and a late Robbie Keane penalty levelled the scores. Still, a 2-2 draw against early-Wenger Arsenal wasn’t disastrous. Was it? Unfortunately for Spurs, this was Arsenal’s Invincibles season. All they needed was a point that day to be crowned champions. So, the Gunners dealt Spurs the ultimate indignity, winning the title on enemy territory (they also accomplished that feat in 1971). Furthermore, Spurs missed out on the chance of kneecapping Arsenal’s Invincible bid (and lord knows we will never hear the end of that).
1. October 2008: Arsenal 4- Tottenham 4
This is one of those matches that lives rent-free in any Premier League fan’s mind (like Owen’s Manchester derby and those early Newcastle-Liverpool belters). You would screen this match for aliens if they wanted to get an understanding of what the Premier League was all about. David Bentley set the tone with an outrageous volley from all of 40 yards. But Arsenal stormed back into pole position, scoring three goals to set up a seemingly inevitable procession. Darren Bent pulled one back for the visitors, only for Van Persie to reestablish the two-goal lead barely a minute later. Spurs looked resigned to yet more Emirates heartbreak. But a Gael Clichy slip allowed Jermaine Jenas to ninja in and make it 4-3 in the 89th minute. And Aaron Lennon completed the comeback with essentially the last move of the match, nodding home after Modric’s speculative long-range effort had crashed into the post. City’s recent comeback win over Liverpool had shades of this match’s insanity during its final stages. The only difference was that this match was unhinged from start to finish!
