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The decade between 2010 and 2019 has been a good one for Tottenham Hotspur; the North London-based side started the period as one of the Premier League’s top sides, qualifying for the UEFA Champions League for the first time at the end of 2009-10, and while there have been some speed bumps along the way, they’ve largely stayed near the top ever since.
Over those ten years, Spurs have been led by Harry Redknapp, Andre Villas-Boas, Tim Sherwood, Mauricio Pochettino, and currently, Portuguese legend Jose Mourinho. Now considered one of English football’s so-called ‘Big Six’, Tottenham have treated their fans to some classic games since the start of the decade.
In chronological order, here are Tottenham Hotspur’s 10 most iconic games of the decade (2010-2019).
#1 Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League – 5 May, 2010
Harry Redknapp’s Spurs headed to the Etihad Stadium – then known as the City of Manchester Stadium – at the end of the 2009-10 season with a major showdown in order, facing off with Roberto Mancini’s Manchester City with a Champions League spot for the 2010-11 campaign essentially on the line. Tottenham came into the game in fourth place in the Premier League with 67 points, while City sat directly behind them in 5th, just one point behind.
The match was the penultimate game of the season, meaning a victory would guarantee Spurs a spot at Europe’s top table, while a defeat would’ve been a disaster. In the end, a tight game was played out with Redknapp’s side eventually coming out on top. Spurs always seemed more likely to score – seeing a Ledley King header disallowed for a push in the first half – but for a while it just seemed they couldn’t do it, with strikers Peter Crouch and Jermain Defoe both missing good chances.
That was until the 82nd minute, though, when defender Younes Kaboul sent a cross into the area. The ball was deflected towards goal by a City defender and although goalkeeper Marton Fulop parried it away, it fell into the path of Crouch – who headed into the empty net before wheeling away in joy.
This was a turning point for Tottenham, as they’d finally reached the Promised Land after so many years as Premier League also-rans, and it stands out a decade on as a signpost of what was to come for the North London side.
Also check out: Premier League Premier League Table Champions League Schedule
#2 Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Inter Milan, Champions League – 2 November, 2010
Tottenham’s first Champions League adventure – in the 2010-11 edition of Europe’s greatest competition – ended in the quarter-finals at the hands of Real Madrid, but not after they’d produced a handful of classic performances, most notably this group stage defeat of holders Inter Milan.
The first meeting between the two sides had seen Harry Redknapp’s side beaten 4-3 at the San Siro, but in reality it was almost a moral victory for Spurs; Inter had gone into a 3-0 lead in the first 15 games and Tottenham also saw their goalkeeper sent off before going in 4 goals down at half time, but the second half saw Gareth Bale destroy Inter’s Brazilian right-back Maicon and score a hat-trick to give the Italians a mighty scare.
In the return match at White Hart Lane, Bale continued his one-man torture of the Brazilian, running him ragged and as an Italian media outlet put it, “reducing him to asphalt”. Bale didn’t score in the game, but assisted for Rafael Van Der Vaart, Peter Crouch and Roman Pavlyuchenko, inspiring Tottenham to a stirring 3-1 victory that cemented them as a side to watch on the European stage.
This was the game, more than any other, that turned Bale into a world-renowned superstar, and it took the best part of a decade for Spurs to better this result in European competition.
#3 Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League – 20 November, 2010
Just over two weeks after their stunning performance against Inter Milan, Harry Redknapp’s Spurs produced another all-time great showing to defeat Premier League title hopefuls Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium – the first time they’d overcome their rivals in their home ground for 17 years. Incredibly, after 27 minutes the idea of a Tottenham win seemed like mission impossible.
The Gunners took the lead through Samir Nasri after just 9 minutes, the Frenchman scoring from a tight angle following a pass from Cesc Fabregas. 16 minutes later, Arsene Wenger’s team doubled their lead when striker Marouane Chamakh reacted quickly to convert from a cross from Andrey Arshavin. Spurs looked dead and buried going into the second half, but Redknapp knew differently.
He sent on striker Jermain Defoe for winger Aaron Lennon, and the England international’s header just minutes after the restart found Rafael Van Der Vaart, who set up Gareth Bale for a close-range finish to give Spurs hope. 17 minutes later, Redknapp’s team were level after Fabregas inexplicably handled Van Der Vaart’s free-kick, and the Dutchman calmly dispatched the subsequent penalty.
The game then kicked into a flurry of action as both sides attempted to find a winning goal – but it was Tottenham who found it, with defender Younes Kaboul heading in from a Van Der Vaart free kick on 85 minutes. Arsenal were broken by the goal, and their hopes of moving to the top of the Premier League were wrecked, as their most bitter rivals had come away with a classic comeback victory.
#4 Manchester United 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League – 29 September, 2012
After Harry Redknapp gave Spurs their first win at Arsenal for 17 years, his successor Andre Villas-Boas handed the Lilywhites their first victory at Manchester United for 23 years, in a strong performance that again highlighted the importance of Gareth Bale to the cause. The flying Welshman scored once and set up the other 2 Tottenham goals in a thrilling victory.
The fans at Old Trafford were stunned after just 2 minutes, with Bale playing a one-two with defender Jan Vertonghen, who somehow found his way into the box before shooting, and the ball took a wicked deflection off Jonny Evans and into the net. After continuing to dominate the Red Devils, Spurs doubled their lead with an amazing move that saw Moussa Dembele and Bale break from their own area and ended with the Welshman scoring a right-footed shot past Anders Lingegaard.
United hit back early in the second half through Nani, who poked home from a Wayne Rooney cross, but just one minute later, Villas-Boas’ side were two goals ahead again, with Lindegaard’s save from Bale finding its way to Clint Dempsey, who finished from close range. Incredibly, United pulled another goal back a minute later through Shinji Kagawa, but the usual Red Devils comeback was not on this time.
Rooney’s free-kick struck the post, Robin Van Persie saw a goal correctly disallowed for offside, and Michael Carrick also hit the woodwork, but Sir Alex Ferguson’s side couldn’t find a way through as Tottenham’s defence stood firm, giving Villas-Boas a famous victory in his first season in charge of the club.
#5 Tottenham Hotspur 5-3 Chelsea, Premier League – 1 January, 2015
Mauricio Pochettino was appointed the new Tottenham boss in the summer of 2014, but his first season began with some seriously mixed results, and it wasn’t until New Year’s Day in 2015 that his new side really began to turn a corner. That day saw them dismantle eventual Premier League champions Chelsea 5-3 at White Hart Lane, sending shockwaves through the rest of the competition.
Striker Harry Kane was the inspiration for Pochettino’s side, as his beautiful 20-yard drive cancelled out Diego Costa’s opener, giving him his 16th goal of the season. Spurs then took the lead through Danny Rose, who slotted in after Nacer Chadli’s shot struck the post, and on the stroke of half-time, they had a third goal; Andros Townsend scoring from the penalty spot after Gary Cahill brought Kane down in the area.
If Chelsea boss Jose Mourinho expected a fightback from his side in the second half, he was quickly proven to be mistaken; Kane turned spun from his marker inside the box to fire home for his second goal, and despite Eden Hazard pulling a goal back with half an hour remaining, the game was put beyond them on 78 minutes. This time Kane turned provider, setting up Chadli for Tottenham’s 5th.
A late goal from John Terry proved to be nothing more than a consolation, and suddenly, it felt like anything was possible for Spurs under Pochettino – particularly as long as they had Kane, their new homegrown hero, leading the line.
#6 Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Manchester City, Premier League – 2 October, 2016
Mauricio Pochettino’s young Spurs side had pushed for an unlikely title win in 2015-16, but fell by the wayside at the last hurdle as Leicester City claimed the crown, and in a final insult, Spurs ended up 3rd, also behind their bitter rivals Arsenal. 2016-17 though saw them bounce back in style, finishing second behind Chelsea with their best-ever Premier League points tally.
Perhaps their best performance that season came in October, as they welcomed Pep Guardiola’s Manchester City to White Hart Lane. Guardiola’s side had won all 6 of his opening Premier League matches with the Citizens, but saw his side out-fought and out-thought by Pochettino’s team in this game.
Even without Harry Kane, Tottenham looked like a team possessed, flying out of the blocks and pressing Guardiola’s men, preventing them from utilising their usual possession-based, short-passing game. Holding midfielder Victor Wanyama in particular was fantastic, seemingly covering every blade of grass and launching himself into tackle after tackle.
Tottenham opened the scoring through an unfortunate own goal from Aleksandar Kolarov on 9 minutes, and 8 minutes before half-time they doubled their lead through a calm finish from Dele Alli. City were shellshocked and despite having 6 shots on target, drew a blank for the first time under Guardiola. Spurs even managed to afford to miss a penalty – Erik Lamela’s kick saved by Claudio Bravo – but in the end it didn’t matter, this was a landmark victory for Pochettino’s men.
#7 Tottenham Hotspur 2-0 Arsenal, Premier League – 30 April, 2017
The most painful part of Tottenham’s title collapse in 2015-16 wasn’t the fact that they allowed Leicester City to lift the Premier League crown – it was that they allowed bitter rivals Arsenal to edge them into third place in the final table after a 5-0 loss to Newcastle on the final day of the season. 2016-17, however, saw Mauricio Pochettino’s side take sweet revenge over their neighbours.
It was during this clash in April 2017 at White Hart Lane that their revenge was truly confirmed; Pochettino’s side dominated Arsene Wenger’s men en route to a 2-0 victory, guaranteeing that they would finish above the Gunners in the table for the first time since 1994-95. Spurs bossed the match from the beginning – having 20 shots in total – and ran out deserved winners.
The fans in attendance had to wait until the second half for the scoring to open, but it was definitely worth it; a sneaky flick from Harry Kane allowed Dele Alli to set up a shot from Christian Eriksen, and when the Dane struck the post, Alli was on cue to poke the rebound home. Just two minutes later, Spurs doubled their lead, this time from the penalty spot, as Kane stroked home after being brought down by Gabriel.
Pochettino’s men could’ve had more goals had it not been for a great showing from Gunners keeper Petr Cech, but in the end everyone came away from this match knowing exactly who the dominant side in North London now was. After 2 further seasons, Arsenal have never again finished above Spurs in the Premier League.
#8 Tottenham Hotspur 3-1 Real Madrid, Champions League – 1 November, 2017
After the Gareth Bale-inspired heroics of 2010-11, Tottenham fans had to wait quite a while for another great European performance, but they were finally given it in the 2017-18 edition of the Champions League, as holders Real Madrid were swept aside by a Dele Alli-inspired Spurs at Wembley.
Every Tottenham player to a man performed to the best of their abilities – with youngster Harry Winks impressing against Real’s formidable midfield of Luca Modric and Toni Kroos – but Alli was the most outstanding player, as he scored twice either side of half-time to hurt Zinedine Zidane’s team. His first goal was a close-range poke from a Kieran Trippier cross, but his second was fantastic, as he dribbled away from Casemiro before firing a deflected shot into the net.
Mauricio Pochettino’s men added a third on 65 minutes when Christian Eriksen slotted home from Harry Kane’s ball following a rapid break, and although Cristiano Ronaldo pulled a goal back for the Spanish giants on 80 minutes, they were well beaten as Tottenham took their place at the top of their group, booking a spot in the knockout stages in the process.
Spurs would eventually go on to be eliminated in the round of 16 by Juventus, but this win over the holders was a monumental one and affirmed Tottenham’s spot at the top table in Europe – and further cemented Alli on the map as one of the potential stars of the decade.
#9 Chelsea 1-3 Tottenham Hotspur, Premier League – 1 April, 2018
After breaking long winless streaks at Arsenal and Manchester United earlier in the decade, Mauricio Pochettino inspired Tottenham to break their other duck in the latter half of the 2017-18 season, as wonder goals from Christian Eriksen and Dele Alli took Spurs to a 1-3 win at Chelsea – their first win at Stamford Bridge in 28 years.
After half an hour, it seemed like business as usual for the Blues, as they took the lead through striker Alvaro Morata, who headed home a cross from Victor Moses. On the stroke of half-time though, Spurs drew level, as Eriksen controlled a ball from Ben Davies before hitting a thunderous shot that dipped over Willy Caballero and into the net.
It was one of Spurs’ most spectacular goals of the season, but somehow Alli produced something even finer in the second half, as he controlled a long ball over the top from Eric Dier with a phenomenal first touch before firing past the hapless Caballero to give his side the lead. Less than 5 minutes later, the England man scored again – poking home from a goalmouth scramble following a breakaway attack.
Antonio Conte’s men were left stunned by the quick-fire double, and despite their best attempts, they were unable to fight back. In the end then, Tottenham left Stamford Bridge with a well-deserved victory – one of their finest in the Premier League era in fact.
#10 Ajax 2-3 Tottenham Hotspur, Champions League – 8 May, 2019
Tottenham’s road to the semi-finals of the 2018-19 Champions League had been a fraught one, as they’d been on the verge of group stage elimination before a late charge saw them take 7 points from their final 3 games, and they’d needed a late VAR intervention to overcome Manchester City in the quarter-finals. Nobody could’ve guessed that the best comeback was yet to happen.
Drawn against talented Dutch side Ajax in the semi-finals, Spurs got off to a bad start by losing the first leg 0-1, and if they’d hoped for a quick start in the second leg, they were sorely mistaken. Matthijs De Ligt scored after just 5 minutes, and when Hakim Ziyech added a second on 35 minutes, it looked like Mauricio Pochettino’s side were dead and buried.
Ajax underestimated the spirit of the London side though, and when Pochettino sent on towering striker Fernando Llorente to replace Victor Wanyama, the tide began to turn. The Dutch side’s teenage captain De Ligt was simply bullied by the Spanish veteran, and slowly, Ajax’s defence began to collapse. Lucas Moura pulled a goal back for Spurs following a break on 55 minutes, and 4 minutes later, somehow managed to find an equaliser after a wild goalmouth scramble.
But Tottenham still needed another goal if they were to reach the final in Madrid – and when Jan Vertonghen’s late header struck the bar, it felt like it wasn’t their night. Somehow though – in the 96th minute – Moussa Sissoko’s long ball was touched on by Llorente, and Dele Alli’s flick found the onrushing Lucas, who slotted home for a hat-trick, giving his side the ultimate Champions League comeback.
The fairytale didn’t end in the way Spurs wanted it to - they were beaten 2-0 in the final by Liverpool – but despite Pochettino’s reign only lasting another six months after this game, Tottenham fans will never forget this special night in Amsterdam, one of their club’s greatest-ever victories.
