5 of the Best North London Derbies of All Time

In terms of the best British rivalries, Arsenal vs Tottenham is surely up there. Here are five of the best North London Derbies to prove its place

Arsenal vs Tottenham is one of Britain’s most historic rivalries. Two sides who've experienced great levels of success, both occupying North London.

Recent years have seen a dip in form for both sides, but the pair are very much on the up once again. We should be ready for some more instant classics coming very soon as the two battle it out towards the top end of the league.

Over the years, there have been many fantastic matches between them. From title deciders to big league wins, here are five of the best North London Derbies of all time.

Tottenham 4 – 5 Arsenal - Premier League, White Hart Lane, 13th November 2004

Highest scoring North London Derby

Arsenal were coming off the back of their remarkable invincible season before this one. While their unbeaten streak was beaten by Manchester United in October, they were still the team to beat, and Tottenham would’ve loved to get victory over them - especially considering how the last North London Derby finished (more on that later).

Unfortunately, it wasn’t to be for Spurs, as they fell to their bitter rivals at home.

They opened the scoring through Noureddine Naybet in the 36th minute, before Thierry Henry equalised for Arsenal just before half-time.

Coming out from the half, Lauren put Arsenal 2-1 up, scoring from the spot in the 55th minute. Patrick Vieira then made it 3-1 just five minutes later, although Spurs’ Jermain Defoe brought it back to just the one goal, as he scored basically from the kickoff.

A brilliant pass from a young Cesc Fabregas set up Freddie Ljungberg for Arsenal’s fourth in the 69th minute. Shortly after, Ledley King for Spurs made it 4-3 with just over 15 minutes to play.

Robert Pires put the game to bed in the 80th minute to make it 5-3, but not before Frederic Kanoute pulled one back for Spurs in the 88th minute.

Tottenham 3 – 1 Arsenal - FA Cup Semi-final, 14th April 1991

St Hotspur Day is created

One of the greatest days in Tottenham Hotspur history was an unassuming Tuesday, as the two sides came together in the Semi-finals of the 1991 FA Cup. Arsenal were going for the league-cup Double for the second time in the club's history (they did go on to win the league).

Paul Gascoigne opened the scoring after just five minutes. Gary Lineker followed with a goal of his own to make it 2-0 Spurs.

Arsenal did find one goal before half-time courtesy of Alan Smith, but a second from Lineker sealed the deal for Spurs.

After beating Arsenal, Spurs went on to face and beat Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup final 2-1 to make it a then-record eight cup victories, although that record has since been beaten and now ironically lies with Arsenal, who have won it 14 times.

So good was the day for Spurs fans that they gave it a name - St Hotspur Day lives on in the fans’ minds as one of the greatest days in club history, considering they went on to win the cup (this was also the last time the team won the FA Cup to date).

Arsenal 5 – 2 Tottenham - Premier League, Emirates Stadium, 26th February 2012

The first of back-to-back Gunner victories

Between 2006 and 2012, the NLD went on a crazy scoring run where every game at the Emirates (7) featured at least three goals in the contest.

That run culminated in a brilliant two-game stint, starting with this game in the 2011/12 season.

Tottenham got off to a flying start, with Louis Saha scoring after just four minutes. Gunner public enemy number 1, Emmanuel Adebayor, then made it two to Spurs in the 34th minute through a penalty.

But after that, it was all Arsenal. Before the half was up, they had already made the game all square again through goals from Bacary Sagna and Robin van Persie.

They kept up that scoring flurry in the second half with Tomas Rosicky putting Arsenal ahead in the 51st minute.

It was Theo Walcott who dispatched Spurs in the end, netting a quick brace to make it five for Arsenal and giving them a very memorable comeback win.

And what made it better for Arsenal fans is that later that year in November during the 2012/13 season, again at the Emirates, Arsenal bowled over Spurs once again with another 5-2 victory.

Tottenham 5 – 1 Arsenal - League Cup Semi-final, White Hart Lane, 22nd January 2008

Tottenham’s last piece of silverware to date

Tottenham picked up their second-biggest victory over Arsenal [in the history of the two clubs living in North London] en route to winning their most recent piece of silverware to date.

In 2008, Arsenal were still seen as one of the powerhouses in the league, while Tottenham were a side that hovered around European spots. Spurs had also failed to beat their rivals at every attempt since November 1999.

After a 1-1 draw at the Emirates in the first leg, it was all to play for in the second. Spurs got the better start, with a goal from Jermaine Jenas and an own goal from Nicklas Bendtner giving them a 2-0 lead at half-time.

Robbie Keane and Aaron Lennon then added two more goals before Emmanuel Adebayor pulled one back for Arsenal. At 5-2 on aggregate, 4-1 on the day, things were looking dire for the Gunners.

So Spurs made it worse by adding one more, this time coming from Steed Malbranque, to make it 5-1 on the day, 6-2 on aggregate, and a trip to the final.

Tottenham faced another one of their London rivals, Chelsea, in the final. Despite being slight underdogs, Spurs came away with a 2-1 victory to claim their latest trophy victory to date.

Tottenham 2 – 2 Arsenal - Premier League, White Hart Lane, 25th April 2004

Arsenal Invincibles secure the title

Arsenal’s 2003/04 Premier League season will forever go down in history, as they incredibly went the full season without losing a single game.

It was a feat beyond belief, and it was topped off with where they managed to secure the title - at the home of their biggest rivals.

The Gunners knew to win the league at White Hart Lane, all they needed was a singular point. Of course, Tottenham also knew this, and while they were never going to prevent them from winning the title, they could prolong their celebrations.

Easier said than done, that is, as Arsenal made sure they were in a good position to start their celebrations on the day, going 2-0 up after 35 minutes through Vieira and Robert Pires.

As great as the win would have been, Spurs made sure the day wasn’t too perfect. Jamie Redknapp got one back and then in the 90th minute, Robbie Keane scored from the spot to make it 2-2.

But that was all Arsenal needed. They got their one point, which meant their bitter rivals had to watch on as the Gunners celebrated being league champions once again.

This marked the last time Arsenal lifted the Premier League trophy. While it is coming up to 20 years with no league title, at least they last did it in quite possibly the greatest way possible.

The next chapter in this storied rivalry will be written on 1st October 2022, as Arsenal will give Tottenham a cold welcome back to the Emirates Stadium.

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