Tottenham Hotspur vs. Arsenal - Last 5 meetings between the sides | Premier League 2020-21
This Sunday sees the first North London derby of the 2020-21 Premier League season, as Tottenham Hotspur play host to their bitter rivals Arsenal.
The match is always guaranteed to be a wildly competitive one, but there might be an added edge to this one. That’s because Jose Mourinho’s Tottenham are currently sitting at the top of the Premier League and are in the midst of a nine-game unbeaten run in domestic competition.
If Mikel Arteta’s Gunners could end that run, not only would it give them plenty of satisfaction, but it might also kickstart their own stalling season. And with 2000 fans allowed to attend the game, it should be a huge occasion for the Premier League in general.
With that in mind, here’s a look at the last five Premier League meetings between these bitter rivals.
#1 Tottenham Hotspur 2-1 Arsenal
12 July 2020, Premier League
The most recent North London derby took place during the 2019-20 season’s Project Restart. It was the first game between Tottenham and Arsenal at Tottenham’s new stadium – albeit without fans in attendance.
Thankfully, the two rivals still put on an entertaining game – with Tottenham fans able to come away the happier of the two.
It didn’t look likely at the beginning of the game, though. Jose Mourinho’s side were coming off a disappointing goalless draw with Bournemouth and quickly fell behind to the Gunners with just 16 minutes on the clock.
Right-back Serge Aurier was the man at fault, as he gave the ball away cheaply just outside the penalty area. From there, a pass from Granit Xhaka found Alexandre Lacazette – and he hit a rasping, powerful drive past Hugo Lloris and into the top corner.
It didn’t take long for Spurs to hit back, though. A diabolical pass from Sead Kolasinac was aimed for David Luiz, but only found Son Heung-min. And the Korean quickly darted in and chipped the ball over Emiliano Martinez to equalize.
From there, both sides had chances to claim victory. Tottenham came close through Ben Davies – whose long-range effort was turned onto the bar by Martinez. On the other hand, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang saw his shot also crash back off the goalframe.
In the end, though, it was Tottenham who came out on top, as a corner from Son found its way onto the head of Toby Alderweireld, who glanced it high into the net.
Mourinho’s side could even have had more goals on the break as Arsenal chased an equalizer, but Martinez was able to deny Harry Kane and Steven Bergwijn. The victory was the only thing that mattered, though – it largely enabled Tottenham to finish above their rivals for the fourth season in a row.
#2 Arsenal 2-2 Tottenham Hotspur
1 September 2019, Premier League
The first North London derby of 2019-20 was a pulsating game that saw Tottenham surrender a two-goal lead to their bitter rivals at the Emirates. Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s late goal denied Mauricio Pochettino’s side a massive win.
Things couldn’t have started out much worse for Arsenal, as a breakaway attack from Spurs ended with Bernd Leno pushing a shot from Erik Lamela right into the path of Christian Eriksen. The Dane fired the ball into the empty net with ease, giving Tottenham a 10th-minute lead.
From there, Tottenham continued to push for another goal – and with 40 minutes gone, they found it. Some good work from Harry Winks saw him play the ball to Son Heung-min – and Granit Xhaka needlessly fouled the Korean to give Spurs a penalty.
The spot-kick was quickly dispatched by Harry Kane – giving him his 10th goal in North London derby games – but Spurs’ two-goal lead was quickly cut in half on the cusp of half-time.
Alexandre Lacazette managed to get onto a loose ball, and through some amazing work, he took it past both Toby Alderweireld and Jan Vertonghen to fire home.
The second half was all Arsenal, as they laid siege to Tottenham’s goal in search of an equalizer. The likes of Matteo Guendouzi and Dani Ceballos both missed excellent chances, and the only break that Spurs really managed saw Harry Kane strike the post.
Finally, though, Pochettino’s side were unable to keep out the constant waves of attack – and on 71 minutes, Aubameyang darted onto a lofted pass from Guendouzi to prod the ball home.
The match was a classic derby, with tackles flying in and both sides having chances to win – and in the end, a draw was probably the fair result.