Tottenham enter Sunday’s north London derby against Arsenal with their recent superiority in the rivalry under threat after a poor record in 2019.
While head-to-head results have remained as close as ever in recent years, Spurs have finished higher in the Premier League for the last three seasons to make “St Totteringham’s Day” – Arsenal fans’ celebration of the day they are mathematically certain to finish above their rivals – a thing of the past.
But they have been out of sorts this year and here, the PA news agency takes a look at the figures ahead of the big game.
European achievement hides league woes
Tottenham reached last season’s Champions League final while their rivals contested the Europa League showpiece, with both teams losing – to Liverpool and Chelsea respectively.
That came at the expense of their domestic form, though, with Spurs winning only three of their last 12 league games and starting this season with one win from three.
That has contributed to a meagre 47 per cent win rate in competitive games in 2019 – 15 out of 32, with three draws and 14 defeats.
Arsenal, by contrast, have won 19 out of 32 – almost 60 per cent – and also have 57 goals to their name compared with Spurs’ 49 in the same number of games. The Gunners have drawn two and lost 11.
Honours even on derby day
Of course, overall form is not necessarily a guide when local rivals go head to head – and over the last four seasons, there is nothing to separate Spurs and Arsenal.
They have two wins apiece in the eight league meetings over that time, with the other four games drawn, including three in succession from November 2015 to November 2016.
Arsenal lead 11 goals to 10 across those eight games but they have met twice in the League Cup in the same time period with – predictably – one win apiece, and with Spurs scoring three goals to the Gunners’ two.
Talisman Harry Kane has scored seven of Tottenham’s derby goals in that stretch, including a remarkable four penalties. Of Arsenal’s current squad, only Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang has multiple derby goals – he scored two, with a spot-kick of his own, in last December’s 4-2 win at the Emirates Stadium.
