Key events
Goal? The corner is half-cleared and the rebound pinballs into the path of Micky van de Ven, who slams the ball beyond Raya! But amid the din, the VAR officials are checking a big offside call …
22 mins: Kulusevski sees his hopeful shot closed down, but Spurs have a corner and another chance to test Arsenal at a set-piece …
20 mins: An even better chance goes begging for Spurs and for Romero, who gets up at the far post to meet Maddison’s free kick, but heads against the upright! Despite the scoreline, there are reasons for Arsenal fans to be concerned …
“Re: predictions,” writes Alex Whitney. “Now that Arsenal have scored first, I predict Romero will get a red card.”
18 mins: Oooof! Spurs go very close to levelling from the set piece, Romero getting ahead of Odegaard but sending his downward header just wide of the far post!
17 mins: Can Spurs hit back quickly? Ben Davies sees his cut-back picked out by Raya but they come again, and get a corner of their own as White heads behind …
After an intriguing, mid-tempo start, Arsenal are rather handed the lead from a set-piece. From Saka’s dangerous near-post delivery, Tomiyasu got under Hojbjerg’s skin and the Spurs man’s attempted header away flew straight inside Vicario’s near post.
GOAL! Tottenham 0-1 Arsenal (Højbjerg own goal 15′)
Arsenal win a corner and from Saka’s delivery, Pierre-Emile Hojbjerg flicks the ball beyond his own keeper! The visitors lead, just like that!
13 mins: The ever-influential Odegaard races on to Partey’s through ball, but the flag goes up as he rolls it back to Havertz, whose untidy finish won’t count. It was close, but Odegaard was half a yard off.
12 mins: At the other end, Son nicks the ball from Trossard on the edge of the Arsenal area and eventually tees up Maddison, whose wild shot is nowhere near the target.
10 mins: Odegaard lines it up, and while Vicario looks a little unhappy with his defensive wall, it does the job in blocking his effort at goal.
9 mins: Arsenal’s early approach is to sit in and look for Saka to lead breakaways. It almost works here, Saka working the ball via Odegaard to Trossard, whose cross is dealt with – but Maddison carelessly brings Partey down, giving the visitors a dangerous free-kick …
“If we do win the title from this point, we will deserve it because we are going to have to beat Spurs and Man Utd away – the latter causes me the most agitation,” writes Danny Whybrow. “This match can’t really be called, anything can happen, as both have the potential to be headless chickens. I am in a quiet pub attaining a zen perspective before that which I cannot control, happens. For once, I might actually enjoy this fixture.” Good luck with that.
8 mins: Now Werner gets forward down that same flank, but sends his cross straight into Raya’s arms.
7 mins: Saka will be looking to test Ben Davies down the Spurs left, but a couple of early attempted long balls towards the winger have been overcooked.
5 mins: A chance for Spurs to counter, but Arsenal get numbers back and Maddison is crowded out by the byline. Partey will be relieved after dallying on the ball there.
4 mins: Arsenal play it from front to back, but Bentancur is able to dispossess Partey in midfield …
2 mins: These two sides are the league’s highest scorers in the opening 15 minutes this season. Will we get a fast start here? Odegaard gets into space down the right, but Romero reads his attempted pass to Saka.
Here we go
Michael Oliver gets us started; Arsenal are attacking the imposing, single-tier South Stand in the first half.
Here are today’s match officials; here’s hoping in vain we have no further need to mention most of them.
Referee: Michael Oliver. Assistants: Stuart Burt, Dan Cook. Fourth official: Andy Madley. VAR: Jarred Gillett. Assistant VAR: Darren Cann.
This fixture has served up plenty of classics in the Premier League era – but from the archive, here are half-a-dozen memorable North London derbies from before football was invented in 1992.
Ange Postecoglou is asked what Tottenham need to do well today. “Pretty much everything! A lot on the line for both clubs, but we need to embrace it, and focus on what we’ve done well this season. If you want to be challenging for things, every game at the end of the season is going to be big. Has it felt like a long time since Newcastle? “An eternity, mate. I would have preferred to have games, but we’ve tried to use our time wisely.”
Whether you’re an anxious Arsenal fan, a stressed Spurs supporter or just an invested neutral, get in touch and let me know your thoughts. Email [email protected] or tweet me over here.
Mikel Arteta speaks: “A very strong opponent, a difficult ground – we have to stand up to the challenge. We are in rhythm, we’ve had a few days to prepare for the game. Every game is a must-win, and it has been for many months. We have to earn the right to win this game.”
Here’s Karen Carney on why form might not matter in the cauldron of a North London derby.
Another Arsenal game with big title implications is already under way in the WSL. Follow that one with Daniel Harris over here:
Plenty of pre-match reading for you; let’s start with Jonathan Wilson on Ange Postecoglou’s Spurs and what clubs mean to their fans.
Pre-game thoughts from the Arsenal captain, Martin Ødegaard: We feel good, really excited to play this kind of match. We have to stay focused and locked in on what we can control, and take it game by game. Today it’s the same mindset.”
And here’s the Spurs keeper, Guglielmo Vicario. “It’s very important for us to feel the support of our fans, [but] we will concentrate on ourselves. The game is crucial for us and our future, we don’t think about what it means for Arsenal.”
Three changes for Spurs from the 4-0 hiding at St James’ Park, with Dejan Kulusevski replacing Brennan Johnson, Pierre-Emile Højbjerg picked ahead of Yves Bissouma, and Ben Davies in for the injured Destiny Udogie. As for Arsenal, Mikel Arteta sticks with the starting XI that put five past Chelsea on Tuesday.
Team news
Tottenham Hotspur (4-2-3-1): Vicario; Porro, Romero, Van de Ven, Davies; Højbjerg, Bentancur; Kulusevski, Maddison, Werner; Son (c).
Substitutes: Austin, Dragusin, Bissouma, Richarlison, Sarr, Bryan Gil, Emerson, Lo Celso, Johnson.
Arsenal (4-3-3): Raya; White, Saliba, Gabriel, Tomiyasu; Partey, Rice, Ødegaard (c); Saka, Havertz, Trossard.
Substitutes: Ramsdale, Kiwior, Jorginho, Vieira, Zinchenko, Smith Rowe, Martinelli, Nketiah, Gabriel Jesus.
Preamble
Arsenal fans don’t like to talk about it, but their team have secured the Premier League title on their local rivals’ patch before. Mikel Arteta’s team cannot win the title today but they are at risk of losing it here, with dropped points likely to be punished by Manchester City, looming ever larger in the rear-view mirror.
On the other hand, this Arsenal side shook off the painful home loss to Aston Villa by winning well at Wolves and then eviscerating Chelsea – and a similarly stirring performance here will turn the heat up on the champions. They play at the City Ground – the venue where Arsenal’s title bid fizzled out last term – later this afternoon.
Just six months ago, it was Tottenham at the top of the table but Ange Postecoglou’s men are now forlornly chasing Villa in fourth. They can still shape the title race, though, with City still to visit and a trip to Anfield next Sunday. Spurs have had 15 days to stew over the 4-0 defeat at Newcastle; Arsenal have played four times in that period.
Will Spurs rediscover their sense of purpose and test their opponents’ tired legs? Or will Arsenal maintain their momentum against hosts stuck in a stop-start rut? Who knows – this is the North London derby, a game where pretty much anything can happen. Kick-off: 2pm BST.