Arsenal History: Celebrating When the Gunners Beat Spurs 5-2 Twice in the Same Year

Few fixtures mean more to Arsenal supporters than the North London derby, and some victories over Tottenham live particularly long in the memory. For Liam Harding, two extraordinary 5-2 wins at the Emirates within the same calendar year certainly fall into that category.

As an Arsenal fan, I know our biggest rival in history has been Tottenham Hotspur Football Club since we moved homes to North London in 1913, following a short stay in the south of the capital. Spurs have lost more times to Arsenal overall, with fortunes aligning in our favour since the test of time, especially in recent years.

Within the space of one calendar year, Arsène Wenger’s Gunners thrashed Spurs 5-2 twice at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League during the early 2010s.

Arsenal fight back from 2-0 down to beat Spurs 5-2

On February 26th, 2012, Wenger’s men in red and white sailed to the first of their two impressive annihilations versus the Spuds, as some nickname them, though they were forced to work hard for it.

Within only four minutes, Harry Redknapp’s Spurs opened the scoring via Louis Saha, before former Gunner Emmanuel Adebayor doubled the pain from the penalty spot in the 34th minute.

Arsenal had no choice but to respond.

Within seven minutes, Bacary Sagna halved the deficit with an impeccable header and, moments later, Robin van Persie unleashed a thunderbolt from outside the box to wickedly equalise at 2-2.

At half-time, Arsenal fine-tuned their cannons.

Inside the 51st minute, Tomáš Rosický poked one in from inside the box, turning the tide of the game.

Then, within the space of just three minutes, a heroic Theo Walcott wrapped up the game superbly with two damaging strikes to seal the famous 5-2 victory.

On the stroke of the 65th minute, the Englishman dinked one over Brad Friedel before finding the far side of the visiting keeper’s goal for a second time in the 68th.

After the standout win, Wenger declared to BBC Sport:

“Arsenal is alive more than anybody thought before the game. That performance, and the style of the game we want to play, was perfect despite a very bad start.”

Arsenal do it all over again at the Emirates

Against the staggering odds, Arsenal repeated the exact scoreline on November 17th, 2012.

Within 10 minutes, it was the troublesome Adebayor who caused havoc again, tapping in after a mistake in the box. But just eight minutes later, he was sent off for a reckless challenge – a moment Arsenal capitalised on perfectly.

During the 24th minute, German giant Per Mertesacker stood up to the occasion, flicking in an almighty header to pull Arsenal level.

Moments before the interval, Lukas Podolski buried a deflected shot into the bottom corner, steering Arsenal into a 2-1 lead.

Then, in first-half added time, Olivier Giroud doubled our advantage, turning up the notches to a credible 3-1 scoreline.

On the hour mark, “Oh Santi Cazorla”, as the fans once chanted, tucked away a fourth goal from close range to cement Arsenal’s advantage.

Inside the 71st minute, Gareth Bale pulled one back from the edge of the box, only to see Walcott score yet again in the dying moments of the game, sweeping his effort past Hugo Lloris.

Following another undisputed victory, Wenger told the press:

“It’s a big win, I promised goals before the game. You were not disappointed. In the end it was a great win, a great score and that will strengthen our belief.”

Unbelievable!

Two North London derbies and ten Arsenal goals

The one and only Arsenal blitzed Spurs 10-4 on aggregate at home across the space of a single year, something that hasn’t been repeated since.

But maybe one day?

Liam Harding

What are your memories of those two incredible 5-2 victories over Tottenham? Which of the two North London derby wins gave you the most satisfaction, and which goal stands out most? Let us know in the comments below.
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