Arsenal v Tottenham
One of the countries fierce and best rivalries is the North London Derby between Arsenal and Tottenham takes place at the Emirates Stadium. With the teams drawing twice last season in the league, the games this season will harder to predict than ever. Here I look back at some of the most memorable games for these teams in this fixture.
Spurs
Tottenham 3-1 Arsenal- FA Cup Semi 1991
Embed from Getty ImagesThe FA Cup Semi-Final in 1991 between Tottenham and Arsenal was the first ever semi-final in the competition held at Wembley. It will also be forever remembered as ‘Gazza’s Day’. Having just recovered from a long term injury, the Tottenham star struck a 30 yard free kick straight into the top corner with only five minutes gone. This set the precedent for the game which saw Tottenham win 3-1. Not only did they get one over on fierce rivals Arsenal, they went on to win the cup that year, with Gascoigne scoring one of the greatest Wembley goals of all time in the process.
Arsenal 2-3 Tottenham- 2011
Embed from Getty ImagesSpurs went into this game at the Emirates having not won an away game against Arsenal for 17 years. This trend looked set to continue when two first half goals saw Tottenham go in at half-time 2-0 down. However, they went on to record a miraculous comeback, with goals from Gareth Bale, a penalty from Rafael Van Der Vaart and a header late on from Younes Kaboul giving Tottenham the three points, a spectacular comeback and a first away win in nearly two decades against their rivals.
Tottenham 5-1 Arsenal- 2008
Embed from Getty ImagesAnother North London Derby, another semi-final, another Tottenham win. After a 1-1 draw in the first leg, the game went to White Hart Lane for a second clash. Spurs were rampant, scoring five goals that night. After such a resounding win over their rivals, Spurs went on to win the final against Chelsea, their first silverware for 17 years.
Arsenal 4-4 Tottenham- 2008
Embed from Getty ImagesThis game came at a time where Tottenham were in turmoil. 2 points from their opening 8 games saw the side sack manager Juande Ramos and appoint Englishman Harry Redknapp. For only his second game in charge, Redknapp took Spurs to the Emirates. The game started well for Spurs, with an amazing strike from David Bentley giving them the lead. However, they were pegged back not once, not twice but three times as they went 3-1 down in the second half. A goal from Darren Bent looked to give them hope again but Arsenal scored a fourth to re-extend their two goal lead. With only 2 minutes plus stoppage time to come and Spurs needing two goals to salvage a point, it was looking bleak. However, two goals in the last 5 minutes meant that Spurs had earned a point out of nothing.
Arsenal
Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal- 2004
Embed from Getty ImagesTo win the league at your local rivals’ ground would be a particularly good feat for any club to achieve. That is exactly what Arsenal did in 2004. During their incredible invincible season where they went the whole year without losing a game, they went to White Hart Lane knowing one point would win them the title. Naturally, Spurs were desperate to win the game so they could end the unbeaten streak and stop Arsenal winning the league. However, the trophy looked destined for
Arsenal when they went 2-0 up within just three minutes. A spirited comeback from Spurs meant the game finished 2-2 but this wasn’t enough to stop the incredible force that this Arsenal team had become. For the second time, Arsenal had clinched the league at White Hart Lane.
Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham- 2012
Embed from Getty Images2012 was a year that saw Tottenham visit the Emirates twice, once at the backend of the 2011/12 season and once nearer the beginning of the 2012/13 season. Both games ended in the same score line, a 5-2 victory for Arsenal. In the February game, Spurs took a 2-0 lead in the first half, only to concede twice before half-time meaning it was 2-2. The Gunners then came out rampant in the second half, scoring a further three times and that’s how it finished. In the November encounter, Spurs again went 1-0 up before having their goal scorer and controversial North London Derby man Emmanuel Adebayor sent off. This boosted the home team who went 4-1 up before Spurs pulled one back. Any whispers of what happened in 2008 where Spurs came back to draw 4-4 with Arsenal were soon muted by a fifth goal from Theo Walcott and that’s how it stayed. To beat your rivals twice in the same calendar year, scoring ten goals in the process, certainly gave Arsenal major bragging rights.
Tottenham 4-5 Arsenal- 2004
Embed from Getty ImagesOne of the highest scoring North London derbies ever, saw Arsenal come out on top as they so often did when playing their rivals at the beginning of the 21st Century. Arsenal went 1-0 down before scoring three goals to give themselves a two goal cushion just after half time. Tottenham then made it 3-2, but Arsenal restored their two goal lead by making it 4-2. Spurs wouldn’t give up as they scored again to make it 4-3 but once more Arsenal regained a two goal lead by making it 5-3. Arsenal did concede again but that’s how it stayed meaning that Arsenal had once again beaten Tottenham.
No happy return for Mourinho
Jose Mourinho made a sensational return to English football this summer when he took over the reins at Manchester United.
Embed from Getty ImagesHe returned to Stamford Bridge earlier in the season against old club Chelsea and suffered a 40 defeat. He wouldn’t have planned that.
Here are some of the most notorious cases where managers have returned to their old employers and what happened.
Claudio Ranieri
Embed from Getty ImagesClaudio Ranieri has held two managerial positions in England in his career. The first came in 2000 at Chelsea, where he became the ‘Tinkerman’. Other than two manager of the month awards, Ranieri never won any major trophies at Chelsea. He was eventually replaced by Mourinho in 2004. His return to the Premier League came in 2015 when he was appointed manager of Leicester City. Here he achieved one of the greatest feats in football history where he won the league title with Leicester, who were a 5000/1 shot at the start of the season. Perhaps fittingly, he took 4 points off previous employers Chelsea on his way to the title, including winning the game that saw his predecessor Mourinho sacked.
Sam Allardyce
Embed from Getty ImagesSam Allardyce is a man who has managed all over the Premier League. The first case of him beating a former team is in 2008 where he took his Newcastle team to Bolton Wanderers and won 3-1 at a club he had only left months previously. Allardyce then turned the tables on Newcastle when he beat them in 2010 whilst managing Blackburn Rovers. He also managed Sunderland against former team West Ham however he only picked up one point against the Hammers.
Harry Redknapp
Embed from Getty ImagesHarry Redknapp is arguably one of the best English managers around. As another man who has managed up and down the Premier League, it’s no surprise that he has come back to haunt former clubs. The most controversial example of this was when he left South Coast club Portsmouth to manage their bitter rivals Southampton. Although he was only in charge at St Marys for one season, he beat old club Portsmouth twice in the 2004/05 season. After betraying Portsmouth like he did, fans had mixed opinions when he came back to manage at Fratton Park after Southampton.
Tim Sherwood
Embed from Getty ImagesTim Sherwood has only managed at two teams in the Premier League, both of which ended fairly disastrously. He was sacked as Tottenham manager after just half a season in charge before moving to Aston Villa. He did however manage to get a 1-0 win over Tottenham in charge of Aston Villa during the season they got relegated.
Sporting Comebacks
The battle for the 2016 F1 Drivers Championships is going right down to the wire. The battle between teammates Nico Rosberg and Lewis Hamilton has the whole sport gripped. At one point it looked as though Rosberg couldn’t lose the title, but with one race left, Hamilton has clawed Rosberg back within his sights. If Hamilton wins the final race in Abu Dhabi and Rosberg fails to get a podium finish then Hamilton will claim the title and complete one of the greatest comebacks in the sporting history. With this possible comeback on the horizon, here is an article looking at other great sporting comebacks.
Champions League Final 2005
Embed from Getty ImagesPerhaps the greatest comeback in the history of football came in the 2005 Champions League Final. Liverpool faced AC Milan in the final held in Istanbul. AC Milan were favourites and they proved this by taking the lead within one minute. Their dominance continued and they went into half-time with a 3-0 lead. With seemingly nothing left to play for in the second half, the Reds came out needing a response; and boy did they deliver. Within 15 minutes of the half restarting Liverpool had scored 3 goals to make the score line 3-3. The next 30 minutes of normal time and 30 minutes of extra time saw an onslaught from the Italians but to no avail. Liverpool survived and the game went to a penalty shoot-out. Ukrainian Andriy Shevchenko had to score his penalty to keep the game alive. Instead his penalty was saved by Jerzy Dudek and the European trophy was heading to Anfield for a fifth time. Hailed ‘The Miracle of Istanbul’ a film was eventually made about the game and it will be forever remembered by football fans around the world.
Ryder Cup 2012
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Ryder Cup in 2012 was the 39th held. This particular battle between the USA and Europe’s top 12 golfers took place in Chicago at Medinah. Going into the singles matches on the final day, the U.S team led 10-6, requiring only 4½ points to win the trophy. Europe needed 8½ so had to win 8 of the 12 matches. Europe went on to win 8 matches and tie another, meaning they regained the cup. The win was dedicated to the late legendary European golfer Seve Ballesteros and deemed ‘The Miracle in Medinah.’
Rugby World Cup Semi Final 1999
Embed from Getty ImagesThis battle took place between New Zealand and France at the world famous Twickenham stadium. The All Blacks were deemed to be unstoppable and they were expected to cruise past France and meet southern hemisphere rivals Australia in the final. Leading 24-10 in the second half, New Zealand looked to be heading to the final in the easy fashion everyone had predicted. However, the French didn’t give up. Inspired by Christophe Lamaison; who himself scored 28 points; France fought back and won the match 43-31. Although they went on to lose the Cardiff final to Australia, this comeback, largely inspired by one man, was considered one of the best comebacks the sport has ever seen.
NHL Eastern Conference Play-Offs Semi-Final 2010
Embed from Getty ImagesThe semi-final of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League in America took place between the Boston Bruins and the Philadelphia Flyers. The Bruins got off to a great start, claiming the first 3 games meaning they took a 3-0 lead, in the best-of-seven series. The Flyers were staring defeat in the face before entering one of the greatest comebacks in sporting history. The Flyers won the next three matches equaling the series at 3-3 and set up a ‘winner takes all’ situation in the final encounter. It was in the final match where the Flyers set up ‘a comeback within a comeback’. The
Flyers went 3-0 down in the first period and it looked as if the Bruins couldn’t lose. However, history repeated itself just as it had in the series and the Flyers scored 4 goals to go through to the final.
Child Sex Abuse Scandal
Football has never been too far away from a scandal. Many have shaken the footballing community in the past, be it fixing matches or corruption within the governing body FIFA. However, the latest problem may change the face of football forever.
Claims of child sex abuse in English football first became known in November 2016. Former professional player Andy Woodward came forward and spoke out about serial offender Barry Bennell. Bennell, already serving time in jail for sexual offences, is said to have abused players during his time as a coach at Crewe Alexandra. Since Woodward spoke out, up to six other former players also accused Bennell of abusing them.
Away from Bennell, other coaches have also been accused, in something which has been described as a problem on a scale ‘as big as Jimmy Savile’. Savile was a former TV personality who, after his death, was revealed to be one of the most notorious sexual predators in history. Now, with everything coming to light, football faces a serious problem.
The FA have launched a full investigation into the claims, with numerous police forces across the country also involved. As of the beginning of December, over 350 cases have been reported to police via a phone hotline, with more expected to come to light. The FA now have to find out how to deal with and move forward from one of the most controversial and damaging criminal cases in its history.
Tiger starts roaring again
Former world number one Tiger Woods made his long awaited comeback to golf last weekend at the Hero World Challenge in the Bahamas.
Embed from Getty ImagesAlthough Woods finished third from last in the event, his return was about more than the final placings, as we started to see a shadow of the man who had once spent 683 consecutive weeks as the best ranked golfer in the world.
On the brink of retirement a year ago due to injury, Woods proved to himself, and the world, that he can still compete at the highest level. Coming through four rounds of golf at a competitive level without having to withdraw due to injury was a bonus in itself for Woods, who, over the past year, had multiple back surgeries.
Of course, finishing with six double-bogeys and eight bogeys overall are things that Woods needs to work on as he continues his revival. However, he scored 24 birdies over the course, two more than anyone else. There was also a change in the way Woods was swinging the club. It was more subtle and smooth, as a pose to the fierce lash he used to use in an attempt to get maximum distance out of his ball.
At the end of day two, Woods was just two shots off the lead. However after spending 16 months out of the competitive game, his fitness and focus naturally tired. If Woods can use the momentum gained from his performance in the Hero World Challenge and take it forward, there is no reason why he can’t make a real stamp on the PGA Tour in the coming months. It certainly seems that this beast is back on the prowl.
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