Premier League 2019/20: Tottenham Hotspur's last 5 wins in the North London derby

The North London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal is undoubtedly one of the biggest fixtures in English football, and drama usually ensues when the two bitter rivals face off against one another – as they are set to do this Sunday afternoon.

After years of dominance for the Gunners in North London, with the odd win for Spurs thrown in, things seem to have changed in recent seasons.

Mauricio Pochettino has built his Tottenham side into genuine title contenders and they’ve not only managed to overhaul their rivals in the Premier League table in the past three seasons, but they’ve also had plenty of success in games against Arsenal too.

Here is a look at the last 5 wins for Tottenham in the North London derby.

#1 Arsenal 0-2 Tottenham – 12/19/2018

The EFL Cup – currently under the guise of the Carabao Cup – isn’t the most glamorous trophy in English football, but when Arsenal and Tottenham were drawn against each other in the quarterfinals of the 2018/19 edition, it was pretty clear that both sides were going to take the game very seriously indeed.

Interestingly enough, the game was the second North London derby inside 3 weeks – Arsenal had defeated Spurs at the Emirates on December 2nd, and so Mauricio Pochettino’s men were gunning for revenge. It was a much-changed side that stepped out, too; Harry Kane was given a rest, as was goalkeeper Hugo Lloris. In the end, it didn’t matter.

Dele Alli turned out to be the star for Tottenham, setting up Heung-min Son for the opening goal after just 20 minutes, and in the second half, he collected a ball over the top from the substitute Kane before deftly lifting it over the oncoming Petr Cech to score one of the best goals of the season.

Goalkeeper Paulo Gazzaniga also proved his worth with a pair of excellent saves from Aaron Ramsey to ensure that Spurs would come out on top, with Alexandre Lacazette also hitting the post in the second half.

Although they went on to lose to Chelsea in the semi-finals of the competition, this win over Arsenal was one of Spurs’ most memorable of 2018/19 – and their first win at the Emirates since 2010.

#2 Tottenham 1-0 Arsenal – 02/10/2018

Tottenham Hotspur were on a hell of a run coming into the North London derby in February 2018; they hadn’t lost in 9 matches since a defeat to Manchester City, and were coming off an impressive win over Manchester United and a gutsy draw with fellow top-four chasers Liverpool.

Arsenal meanwhile were adrift in 6th place despite coming off a 5-1 win over Everton. And the gap between the two sides was easy to see during this game at Wembley, as Tottenham dominated from the off and came away with all three points after a commanding performance.

Harry Kane – who else? – was responsible for the winner; he scored with a towering header early in the second half that had fans comparing his vertical leap to Cristiano Ronaldo and triggered Mauricio Pochettino to label him the “present and the future of Tottenham”.

In reality, Spurs could well have had more goals. Despite possession being evenly spread between the two sides, Tottenham had 18 shots to Arsenal’s 6, and restricted the Gunners to just one attempt on target. If any recent game could sum up the change in fortunes of the two sides, it was this one.

#3 Tottenham 2-0 Arsenal – 04/30/2017

Coming into the 2016/17 season, Tottenham Hotspur hadn’t finished above Arsenal in the league table since 1994/95, and despite their massive improvements over Mauricio Pochettino, at times it felt like an impossible task.

2015/16, for instance, had seen them push eventual champions Leicester City all the way, only to collapse on the final day, allowing Arsenal to leapfrog them into second place.

That all changed on the final day of April in 2017, though, as Spurs picked up an impressive 2-0 victory in the penultimate game in the old White Hart Lane stadium. The win kept Spurs in second place in the Premier League behind eventual champions Chelsea – and left a gap of 17 points between them and their bitter rivals the Gunners with just a handful of games remaining, ensuring their superiority.

The game was actually tight during the first half and chances for both sides were at a premium, with Christian Eriksen missing the best one when he hit the post. But the second half was dominated by Spurs, and they sealed the deal with two goals in two minutes; first Dele Alli found the net with a finish from close range, and then Harry Kane was fouled in the box by Gabriel before calmly dispatching the penalty.

Tottenham’s domination, particularly in the second half, was eye-opening and was also the perfect way to win over the club’s detractors, particularly those who expected them to fall apart under the bright lights of the North London derby.

#4 Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal – 02/07/2015

There was only one name on the lips of the fans following Tottenham Hotspur's 2-1 win over Arsenal in the North London derby in February 2015: star striker Harry Kane.

The then-21-year-old had risen to prominence under the guidance of new boss Mauricio Pochettino throughout the 2014/15 season, and his brace against Tottenham’s most bitter rivals meant that he would never be forgotten by fans, even if he turned out to be a “one-season wonder” as some pundits suspected at the time.

Kane was on red-hot form coming into the match, as he’d scored in 3 of Tottenham’s previous 4 games – including a hat-trick against Chelsea – and had already netted on 20 occasions in the Premier League.

The Gunners took the lead early in the first half through Mesut Ozil, who found the net from close range after a skewed effort from Olivier Giroud found its way into the path of the German. But following the goal, they seemed content to sit back – and ended up paying the price.

Firstly Kane equalised early in the second half, turning the ball in after a save from David Ospina, and finally he sealed the 3 points with a towering header with just 5 minutes remaining.

The brace was the start of an impressive run in the derby for Kane – who can become the all-time top scorer in matches between Tottenham and Arsenal if he can find the net this weekend.

#5 Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal – 05/03/2013

The reign of Andre Villas-Boas is now looked back as somewhat of a false dawn by Tottenham Hotspur fans; the Portuguese manager had Spurs playing some fantastic football in the 2012/13 season and a Champions League place looked on the cards before a late surge by Arsenal – and some disappointing results for Spurs – forced them back into 5th place.

In reality the side were largely fuelled by the brilliant form of Gareth Bale and Villas-Boas couldn’t recover things once the Welshman was sold, but there’s no denying there were some tremendous moments created when both men were at White Hart Lane, and their March 2013 win over their heated rivals was definitely one of them.

Spurs seemed determined to prove that they’d surpassed their North London neighbours coming into the match, and when they scored twice in the space of two minutes late in the first half, it felt like a one-sided hammering could be on the cards.

Firstly a pass from Gylfi Sigurdsson split Arsenal’s defence and Bale slotted home, and minutes later the Welshman returned the favour by playing a beautiful ball to Aaron Lennon, who darted around keeper Wojciech Szczesny to make it 2-0.

Arsenal did fire back in the second half through defender Per Mertesacker, but despite both sides having more chances, the game ended 2-1. At the time the win felt seminal for Spurs – but they would still have to wait another four seasons to finish above their bitter rivals in the Premier League.