#3 North London Derby
While London has a huge number of football clubs, the most famous derbiy in England’s capital city arguably takes place in the north of the city between heated rivals Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur. The fans of the two teams despise each other and on the pitch, things aren’t much better. Most recently the rivalry was thrown into the forefront again as Sol Campbell was excluded from a legends’ parade at Tottenham due to his crime of transferring to Arsenal back in 2001!
In terms of results, it’s Arsenal who are currently in front, winning 80 derbies compared to 62 for Spurs, with 51 draws between the two as well. The Premier League era, in particular, has been successful for Arsenal, as they’ve won the majority of league games between the two sides despite losing both home and away in the inaugural 1992/93 season.
The lowest ebb for Spurs? Either losing 5-4 at White Hart Lane in 2004/05 despite leading throughout the first half, or in 2011/12 and 2012/13 – both seasons saw them hammered 5-2 at the Emirates.
This season seemed to mark a change, though – the sides drew 1-1 at the Emirates, but Spurs comfortably defeated Arsenal 2-0 at White Hart Lane. And with the Gunners slipping out of the top four for the first time in two decades and Tottenham now established as title challengers, it could be Spurs who become dominant going forward.
Due to Arsenal’s superiority in the earlier Premier League days though, their rivalry with fellow Londoners Chelsea has also come to the forefront. Thankfully for the Gunners though, they have the upper hand there too – 74 wins over the Blues to 62 losses, with 54 draws between the two. So in a derby sense, it could be argued – by Arsenal fans of course! – that the Gunners are London’s most dominant team.
