Petr Cech was fairly dismissive when the question was put to him of a power shift in north London earlier this week.
The Arsenal goalkeeper was keen to remind Tottenham in an interview with Sky Sports that “success is ultimately winning trophies” yet it can’t possibly have escaped him that the Lilywhites are only very slight underdogs for this Saturday’s meeting between the two sides.
Tottenham have never gone to the Emirates as favourites, such as been the Gunners’ dominance in this fixture.
Inevitably, that is changing with some bookmakers as Mauricio Pochettino looks to continue his record of never losing a North London Derby in the league.
Whenever the Lilywhites have beaten their bitter rivals, it has been special, but some derbies have become immortalised in Spurs folklore.
Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal (2010)
Spurs looked as though they were set to miss out on Champions League qualification, especially as they still had Arsenal, Chelsea, and Manchester City to play. They were still hoping to impact the title race, and effectively ended Arsene Wenger’s hopes of a first triumph since 2004 thanks to a thunderbolt from debutant Danny Rose. Harry Redknapp’s decision to start the young left-back certainly raised a few eyebrows. Jermain Defoe and Gareth Bale teamed up for the winner, the Welshman tapping home to put Spurs firmly back in the race for fourth, which they eventually sealed away at City just a few weeks later.
Tottenham 3-1 Arsenal (1991)
The 1991 FA Cup semi-final will always be remembered, not least because back then trips to Wembley were still rare, but chiefly thanks to Paul Gascoigne’s phenomenal free-kick. As the commentator Barry Davies exclaimed, “schoolboy’s own stuff”. This was the first semi-final to be played at the national stadium, and did it deliver. It also featured a rare goal outside the area from Gary Lineker. Spurs marched on to the final against Nottingham Forest, where they lifted their eighth FA Cup.
Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham (2010)
The Emirates has seen many a two-goal lead thrown away in this fixture, but usually by the visitors. Harry Redknapp’s Spurs had the added incentive that victory would prevent their rivals going top of the Premier League, but they struggled to live up to the occasion initially, conceding goals from Samir Nasri and Marouane Chamakh. By then, Gareth Bale had become used to galvanising his team-mates and led the recovery before Rafael Van der Vaart levelled from the spot. With just five minutes of normal time left and with Spurs defending gallantly for a point, Younes Kaboul headed home to send the away end into ecstasy.
Tottenham 5-0 Arsenal (1983)
Five years on from being on the end of their own 5-0 thrashing in a derby, Tottenham put in a faultless performance at White Hart Lane. Mark Falco starred with two volleys, but Arsenal looked broken from the second goal onwards and it was only a matter of time before they capitulated.
Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal (2008)
A brief moment of respite in the otherwise disheartening reign of Juande Ramos. The first derby win for eight years brought about some (very brief) acceptance of the Spanish boss, who had unseated Martin Jol from the manager’s hot seat three months earlier. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg of the Carling Cup semi-final, Jermaine Jenas handed Spurs a brilliant start, Nicklas Bendtner then doubling their lead by putting the ball into his own net. Robbie Keane, Aaron Lennon, and Steed Malbranque added the third, fourth, and fifth respectively, though the highlight for the home crowd was probably watching on as Emmanuel Adebayor and Bendtner turned on each other. Glorious.