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A 5-4 at White Hart Lane in 2004. A 4-4 thriller in 2008. Back-to-back 5-2s at the Emirates in 2012. Arsenal vs Tottenham is a rivalry that not only provides animosity between fans, but a fixture that usually rains with goals. From Thierry Henry's iconic solo goal to Danny Rose's thunderbolt, the match-up has also seen it's fair share of mesmerising goal down the years. Just four miles separate the Gunner's stadium with Spurs' ground, and of all the derbies in the Premier League era, it has probably been consistently the closest between the two teams.
After 22 years of Arsenal finishing above Tottenham, leading to their supporters declaring their very own 'St.Totteringham's day' when it became mathematically unachievable for their rivals to surpass them, Spurs came above the Gunners for four seasons in-a-row between 2017 and 2021. Since then, Arsenal have re-asserted their dominance, with 16 places separating them in the Premier League last term. This Sunday, the pair meet at the Emirates with Mikel Arteta's team top of the table, and Thomas Frank's outfit in fifth. And if past meetings are anything to go by, we could be in for another goal-fest.
Club Comparison
Arsenal FC
Tottenham Hotspur
Premier League
Premier League
€1.31bn
Market Value
€920.60m
First Tier
League Level
First Tier
€293.50m
Expenditures 25/26
€210.60m
Mikel Arteta
Managers
Thomas Frank
Full Club Comparison
Premier League games with most goals-per-game
When we go back through the archives and look at all of the Premier League fixtures which have been played 60 times or more since the 1992/93 season, the North London derby actually ranks in the top 10 for the most goal-per-game. Which is surprising given the magnitude of pressure surrounding the fixture. The Premier League match-up with the most goals-per-game is actually none other than Tottenham vs Newcastle, which, in 60 meetings, has averaged 3.20 goals-per-game. Liverpool vs Newcastle takes second place with 3.16 goals-per-game from 61 encounters. Liverpool vs Spurs is the first ever-present Premier League fixture on the list in third with 3.12 goals-per-game from 66 meetings.
Fourth goes to Manchester United vs Newcastle with 3.05 goals-per-game, and that's followed by Arsenal vs Liverpool, which has averaged 2.97 goals-per-game. Then in sixth it's the North London derby with 2.88 goals-per-game from the 66 meetings between Arsenal and Tottenham in the Premier League era. Last season, the match at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium finished 1-0 to Arsenal, whilst Arteta's side were 2-1 victors at the Emirates. But how does the North London derby goal ratio compare to the other iconic Premier League rivalries?
Premier League rivalries with most goals-per-game
We have lowered the threshold for Premier League rivalries to 50+ games to include the Manchester derby, but still focus on matches with a bigger sample size. As I'm sure readers would have deciphered from above, the North London derby comes out on top in this department. It's 2.88 goals-per-game narrowly betters the Manchester derby, which has boasted 2.86 goals-per-game from its 57 Premier League encounters. Chelsea vs Spurs is usually a confrontational affair, and is third with 2.76 goals-per-game. In fourth is another London derby between Arsenal and the Blues, with 2.73 goals-per-game in that fixture.
The North-West derby between English giants Manchester United and Liverpool ranks fifth with an average of 2.67 goals-per-game. The Red Devils vs the Gunners was the iconic fixture around the Millennium but only averaged 2.49 goals-per-game. The Merseyside derby between Liverpool and Everton used to be renowned for being a feisty affair, but has only averaged 2.27 goals-per-game down the years in the Premier League. Will the North London derby continue to deliver goals at the Emirates this Sunday?