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.

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#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.

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#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.

#3 Tottenham Hotspur 1-1 Arsenal

2 March 2019, Premier League

March 2019’s North London derby took place at Wembley Stadium and was a dramatic game filled with twists, turns, and plenty of controversy, too. In the end, Tottenham and Arsenal shared the spoils when the game finished 1-1.

It didn’t take long for Arsenal to open up Tottenham’s defense, though. With just 16 minutes gone, a missed header from Davinson Sanchez allowed Alexandre Lacazette to play Aaron Ramsey through on goal. And with no Spurs defenders able to catch him, the Welshman darted into the box and slotted home past Hugo Lloris.

Both sides then had further chances, with Tottenham’s best chance of an equalizer being thwarted by Arsenal keeper Bernd Leno. He made a remarkable double save from Christian Eriksen and then Moussa Sissoko on the stroke of half-time.

The second half saw Tottenham continue to push for an equalizer, but for a while, it didn’t look like it’d be their day. However, controversy erupted with around 20 minutes to go, as Harry Kane was barged to the ground by Shkodran Mustafi while attempting to get onto the end of a free-kick.

Arsenal’s players protested that Kane had been offside at the time, but referee Anthony Taylor was having none of it and pointed to the spot. And unsurprisingly, Kane stepped up to dispatch the penalty, drawing Spurs level.

However, more drama was to come. With less than two minutes remaining, a ludicrous tackle from Sanchez saw Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang go down in the Spurs area, and Taylor awarded the Gunners a spot-kick of their own.

Unlike Kane, though, Aubameyang was unable to find the net, as Lloris easily saved his tame penalty.

Incredibly, there was still time for more drama. With the game deep into stoppage time, Lucas Torreira made a horrible, reckless lunge at Danny Rose – and Taylor showed no hesitation in sending the Arsenal midfielder off.

This was not a match filled with goals, but it was an entertaining North London derby nonetheless.

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#4 Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham Hotspur

2 December 2018, Premier League

Arsenal’s most recent win over their bitter rivals came back in December 2018, as Mauricio Pochettino saw a strong run of form from his side stopped dead at the hands of Unai Emery’s Gunners.

However, this was not an easy game for Arsenal. Like most North London derbies, the match was filled with dramatic moments and saw the Gunners come from behind to win, while Tottenham were reduced to 10 men late on.

It was Arsenal who drew first blood at the Emirates, as Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang scored from the penalty spot following Jan Vertonghen’s handball. Their lead didn’t last long, though, and it was Tottenham who went into half-time ahead.

A flicked header from Eric Dier handed Spurs an equalizer on 30 minutes – and caused a fracas on the pitch after the England international appeared to taunt Arsenal’s fans as part of his celebration. And just four minutes later, Tottenham were ahead, as Harry Kane scored his own spot-kick following a foul on Son Heung-min.

Knowing he needed to change things up, Emery made a double substitution at half-time – sending on Aaron Ramsey and Alexandre Lacazette to replace Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Alex Iwobi.

The move had an almost immediate effect. With 10 minutes of the half gone, Ramsey set up Aubameyang for his second goal, with the Gabonese striker finishing brilliantly from the edge of the area.

And on 74 minutes, the two substitutes combined for Arsenal’s third goal, as the Welshman stole the ball from Juan Foyth before sending Lacazette through to slide the ball into the bottom corner. Tottenham were still smarting from that goal when Arsenal hit them with a final sucker-punch – Aubameyang setting up Lucas Torreira for a fourth.

Worse was to come for Spurs, as Vertonghen then received his second yellow card for a bad tackle on Lacazette.

Overall, this was a painful loss for Tottenham. However, it was a massive win for Arsenal that could arguably be considered the high point of Unai Emery’s brief reign at the Emirates.

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#5 Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Arsenal

10 February 2018, Premier League

The 182nd meeting between Tottenham and Arsenal took place at Wembley in February 2018 and was a far less dramatic game than most North London derbies.

Instead, the match was settled by a single goal from Harry Kane, but in reality, it was a largely one-sided affair in favor of Tottenham. Mauricio Pochettino’s men took the match to the Gunners from the off and ended the affair with 18 attempts on goal compared to Arsenal’s six.

In fact, Arsene Wenger’s side managed just one shot on target throughout the entire match.

However, Tottenham were unable to break the deadlock during the first half, despite creating plenty of chances. Harry Kane missed a couple of excellent opportunities, while the outstanding Petr Cech also kept Spurs out on a number of occasions.

However, Kane would have the final word as he was somehow able to soar above both Laurent Koscielny and Nacho Monreal to head Ben Davies’ cross home early in the second half. It was an unstoppable header, with the England striker’s leap comparable to the great Cristiano Ronaldo.

From there, Tottenham continued their assault on Arsenal’s goal, with the likes of Kane, Christian Eriksen, and Dele Alli all being denied by Cech, who had a truly excellent game.

In the end, though, this was Tottenham’s day, and they ran out comfortable winners. It was no surprise when they finished 14 points above their bitter rivals when the 2017-18 campaign came to an end.