Premier League: History of the North London Derby

Arsenal and Spurs have been fierce local rivals for generations, and they will once again face each other in two highly competitive North London Derby matches in the 2025/26 Premier League season.

With barely more than two weeks remaining until the start of the much anticipated 2025/26 Premier League season, which is set to get underway on the evening of Friday 15th August 2025.

There will be several high profile matches taking place throughout the campaign, one of which will be the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham, who will go toe to toe once more in two fiercely contested derby matches.

These games will grab the attention of the fans of both clubs around the world, and it will also have neutrals tuning in to watch one of the biggest matches in the world of football.

The first North London Derby of the 2025/26 season will be played at the Emirates Stadium, with Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal the hosts on the afternoon of Saturday 22nd November 2025.

The Tottenham Hotspur Stadium will then host this famous fixture at the start of next year, with the game set to be played in the afternoon on Saturday, 21st February 2026.

Here, we are going to take a look at the North London Derby in detail, both in terms of its incredible and storied history, whilst we are also going to take a look back at the most memorable matches from this fixture, and look ahead at this season’s derby games.

We will also take a look at the head to head record, and have a deeper look at the Head Coaches of both clubs – Mikel Arteta and Thomas Frank.

Roots of the North London Derby

Interestingly, Arsenal and Spurs were not fierce rivals initially, with the two sides first meeting in a friendly game at the Manor Ground in Plumstead back on 9th November 1896, in what was a victory for the Gunners on that occasion.

At this time, Arsenal were not based in North London, with them in Plumstead, and the club’s name at this time was Royal Arsenal.

This game first became a heated rivalry in 1913 when Arsenal decided to leave the Manor Ground in Plumstead in favour of a move to Highbury, located in North London, with just a matter of four miles now separating the two clubs. Needless to say, Spurs did not like that the Gunners had made this decision.

Arsenal were now the closest club to Spurs, and the rivalry has only grown and evolved ever since then.

Things got even more heated between them when, in 1919, just a year after the end of World War One, the First Division was going to be expanded by two teams by a majority vote by clubs. Chelsea finished in 19th, which would have relegated them in the past, but this made them the first to be elected into the two team expansion.

Spurs and Barnsley looked the most likely to be chosen for the second new spot in the First Division, with the two clubs having finished 20th in the top tier and third place in Division Two, respectively.

Instead, it was Arsenal who got the place despite finishing below Barnsley, and in the vote they won with 18 votes, with Tottenham getting 8, whilst Barnsley got 5.

This, of course, did not sit well with Spurs, and it only made the rivalry even more intense.

Spurs did eventually go on to secure a place in the First Division after securing promotion back to the top flight in the 1919/20 season, where they won the title with a total of 70 points to their name after 42 matches, 6 clear of runners-up Huddersfield Town.

Incredibly, since 1950, there has only been one season where Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal have not been in the same division and therefore contested the North London Derby twice in a league campaign.

The only season where the two North London Clubs did not come face to face in a league outing was in the 1977/78 season, when the Gunners were in the top division whilst Tottenham were in the second tier at the time.

Spurs were promoted in 3rd place that year, getting a total of 56 points from their 42 matches in the end, with them finishing behind the likes of Southampton (2nd Place, 57 Points), and that season’s Champions, Bolton Wanderers, with 58 points. They were all only separated by only two points overall.

Head to Head Record

Most memorable derby matches (H3) We will now move on to the most memorable matches in the entire history of the iconic and historic North London Derby.

There have been very memorable results over the years for both clubs, and here we are looking back at some incredible and action packed matches from the days of the First Division and the Premier League, as well as other competitions.

Tottenham 5 – 0 Arsenal (Division One, 1983)

The first North London Derby that we will be taking a look at was Tottenham Hotspur’s memorable 5 – 0 triumph over Arsenal in what was a Division One game held at White Hart Lane.

Kevin Burkinshaw was in charge of Spurs, whilst it was Terry Neill who was Arsenal’s manager at this point in their history.

This game saw the Lilywhite in some ruthless form, with the first three goals coming within twenty minutes in the first half. Chris Hughton opened the scoring with just ten minutes gone (10’), before Mark Falco doubled their side’s advantage just a few moments later (13’). Hughton got his second goal of the game with close to twenty minutes of the game having elapsed. Then there were no more goals until the second half, with the aforementioned Mark Falco finding the back of the net once again with just a few minutes elapsed following the half time break (53’).

Alan Brazil then scored the club’s fifth and final goal of the game with barley more than twenty minutes to go in the game (66’).

Tottenham 2 – 3 Arsenal (First Division, 1988)

Next up is a First Division game, again at White Hart Lane, this time in 1988. It was, in the end, a thrilling game that saw George Graham’s Arsenal emerge as 3 – 2 winners against a Tottenham side who were then led by manager Terry Venables.

All of the goals came in the first half, with the Gunners breaking the deadlock with the first goal of the game within twenty minutes, with Nigel Winterburn finding the back of the net after beating Spurs stopper Bobby Mimms (20’).

John Lukic was then beaten in goal for Arsenal when Chris Waddle was able to score the equalising goal for his side just five minutes after his team had initially fallen behind (25’).

Then came two quickfire goals for the Gunners. Brian Marwood scored the goal that saw Arsenal re-take the lead (29′), before they were then 3 – 1 ahead when prolific forward Alan Smith scored his goal with half an hour gone in this game in the first half (30’).

Paul Gascoigne did get a goal back to halve the deficit (40’), but it was not enough in the end, with Spurs being defeated 3 – 2 by their North London rivals Arsenal.

Tottenham 3 – 1 Arsenal (FA Cup, 1991)

We now move on to an iconic FA Cup Semi Final tie that took place between Spurs and Arsenal, who were both still led by their Managers, Terry Venables and George Graham, respectively.

It was a game that took place at the old Wembley back on 14th April 1991 in what was also the first ever FA Cup Semi Final to have ever been held at Wembley.

Paul Gascoigne, who had recently returned from injury and as a result had played little football, but he created one of the most iconic FA Cup moments of all time when his powerful 30 yard goal gave the great David Seaman absolutely no chance in goal with just 5 minutes having gone in this game in the first half (5’).

Gary Lineker then scored the first of his two goals in this game just a few moments after Gascoigne’s opener, with ten minutes having elapsed (10’).

Alan Smith did pull a goal back for Arsenal to halve the deficit (45′), but Lineker scored his second clinically late on in this game in the second half to make it 3 – 1 (78′), which indeed took the game away from their North London rivals.

Spurs, of course, went on to win the 1991 FA Cup Final after they were able to get the better of Brian Clough’s Nottingham Forest side, with the London club coming away with a tight and very tense 2 – 1 victory.

Tottenham 2 – 2 Arsenal (Premier League, 2004)

We will now fast forward to 2004, with a game taking place between these two sides at White Hart Lane. It was the game that clinched the title for Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal side, with the 2 – 2 draw between the Gunners and the Lilywhites being enough to secure top spot for Wenger and his side.

The deadlock was officially broken very early on in this game, with Patrick Vieira finding the back of the Tottenham net within the first five minutes of the contest in the first half (3’).

It was then 2 – 0 to the Gunners with just ten minutes remaining in normal time in the opening 45 minutes of this North London Derby when Robert Pires got his goal to double Arsenal’s advantage (35’).

Tottenham did indeed stage a comeback in the second half, firstly through Jamie Redknapp early in the second half (62’) before a clinical penalty kick was then scored by striker Robbie Keane, who restored parity in this hard fought contest in the latter stages of stoppage time that took place at the end of the second half (90+4’).

Arsenal did throw away their advantage in this match, but they were, of course, able to win that iconic Premier League title as a result of the point that they gained from this game.

Arsenal 4 – 4 Tottenham (Premier League, 2008)

An eight goal thriller took place in a Premier League contest at the iconic Emirates Stadium, which saw Arsene Wenger’s Arsenal and Harry Redknapp’s Spurs draw 4 – 4 in North London back in 2008. It is one of the Premier League’s most iconic games.

David Bentley’s sensational volley early on in the game gave the away side the lead with barely more than ten minutes having elapsed in the first half (13’).

Arsenal then equalised late on in the opening half through Mikael Silvestre (36’), with William Gallas then giving them the lead very early on in the second half, just moments after it had got underway (46’).

Emmanuel Adebayor then made it 3 – 1 to the Gunners midway through the second half (64’). Spurs then got a goal back through Darren Bent, who halved the deficit to make it 3 – 2 (66’), with a goal then coming through Dutchman Robin van Persie to restore his side’s two goal advantage (68’).

Then goals from Jermaine Jenas (89’) and Aaron Lennon (90+4’) in the latter stages of the second half not only made for late drama, but it also meant that Tottenham had completed one of the Premier League’s most incredible comebacks of all time.

Arsenal 5 – 2 Tottenham (Premier League, 2012)

Finally, we now move on to take a look back at Arsenal’s emphatic 5 – 2 triumph over Tottenham in the Premier League at the Emirates Stadium back in February 2012, back in the 2011/12 season.

The two sides were being led by their managers, Arsene Wenger and Harry Redknapp, respectively.

The scoring in this game began when Louis Saha broke the deadlock in the opening minutes of the game in the first half, with less than five minutes having gone (3’).

Emmanuel Adebayor then made it 2 – 0 when he was able to double his side’s advantage with just over half an hour gone (34’), before French defender Bacary Sagna halved the deficit for Arsenal with his goal moments later, and just before the half time break in this game (40’).

Robin van Persie equalised for Arsenal with his goal with just a couple of minutes to go in the first half (43’), before it was 3 – 2 to the Gunners through Tomas Rosický early on in the second half (51’).

Theo Walcott then scored a quickfire double – scoring two goals in three minutes to secure his side a significant three goal advantage (65’, 68’), making it 5 – 2, which is how the game ended.

These are just a handful of some of the most memorable matches in the history of the North London Derby.

All eyes will be on their encounters in this season, and Spurs and Arsenal fans alike will hope that it will be a memorable result for them and their team. Below are some ‘honourable mentions’, which are other memorable matches between these two North London sides.

• Spurs 0 – 1 Arsenal (First Division, 1971)

• Spurs 3 – 1 Arsenal (FA Cup, 1991)

• Spurs 2 – 3 Arsenal (First Division, 1998)

• Spurs 4 – 5 Arsenal (Premier League, 2004)

Head to Head Record

We shall now be moving on to the current head to head record between Arsenal and Spurs in competitive games in all competitions, as of the time of writing.

The Gunners and the Lilywhites have so far come face to face on as many as 211 occasions, and it is currently Arsenal who have the superior record of 89 victories in this fixture to date, whilst Spurs have triumphed 67 times in this high profile and historic fixture. There have also been 55 draws between them overall.

The most recent North London Derby, that took place in a Premier League game back on Wednesday 15th January 2025 at the iconic Emirates Stadium, where Arsenal won 2 – 1 thanks to an own goal from Dominic Solanke (40’), and a goal from Leandro Trossard (44’), whilst Spurs scored their goal through Son Heung-Min to open the scoring in the first half (25’).

Spurs’ most recent competitive victory in all competitions came in the Premier League back on Thursday, 12th May 2022 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium when Tottenham emphatically won 3 – 0 thanks to the goals from the likes of Harry Kane (22’ – Penalty, 37’) and the aforementioned Son Heung-Min (47’).

Tottenham also recently beat Arsenal in a friendly in Hong Kong ahead of the upcoming 2025/26 Premier League season, with the Lilywhites winning 1 – 0 thanks to a spectacular winning goal from the halfway line from their midfielder Pape Matar Sarr, who scored just before half time (45’). This was also the first ever North London Derby to have been played overseas.

Looking Ahead

Both sides will have optimism of getting the better of their rival at least one North London Derby this season, with both teams having also made some significant signings.

Mohammed Kudus is probably Spurs’ standout signing so far, whilst Viktor Gyokeres has taken Arsenal’s forward line to another level.

What we do know is that the North London Derbies this season will be very competitive, and there are some fantastic players on both sides who could, in the end, make the difference for their sides as to whether they come away defeated or with a crucial victory, which will also see them earn some local bragging rights until the two teams meet again.

Head Coaches

Now we move onto the two Head Coaches, with Thomas Frank and Mikel Arteta being in charge of Spurs and Arsenal, respectively.

Frank was recently appointed to replace Ange Postecoglou on Thursday, 12th June 2025, whilst Arteta has been in charge ever since he was named as Unai Emery’s permanent successor at the club back on Friday, 20th December 2019.

Thomas Frank and Mikel Arteta have come head to head on a number of occasions so far in competitive matches over the years, with all of these coming with Frank at Brentford and Arteta at Arsenal – they have not faced each other in a competitive game since Thomas Frank left the Bees for Spurs in June.

So far, these two Head Coaches have faced each other a total of 9 times in all competitions. Thomas Frank has 1 win against Arteta, whilst his Spanish counterpart has beaten sides led by the Dane 6 times to date.

Thomas Frank’s only win against Mikel Arteta so far was in a Premier League game on 13th August 2021, which was their very first competitive encounter in what was also Brentford’s first ever Premier League game.

It was a 2 – 0 triumph for the Bees at the Gtech Community Stadium, thanks to goals coming from the likes of Sergi Canos (22’) and Christian Norgaard (73’), who scored their goals either side of half time.

Interestingly, Norgaard has actually since joined the Gunners from Brentford, making the move across London for a reported initial fee of £10 million, rising to £15 million back on Thursday, 10th July 2025.

All eyes will be on the two North London Derbies that are set to be played this season, with local bragging rights set to be decided.

Excitement and anticipation are building rapidly ahead of the 2025/26 Premier League season getting underway, and all eyes will be on the action to come with teams battling for the title, for European Football, and to avoid the disaster that is relegation to the EFL Championship.

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