David Hytner's match report:
FULL TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Arsenal
That’s that! The whistle blows, and Tottenham Hotspur are deserved winners of the 195th north London derby thanks to Harry Kane’s towering header! A livid Wilshere tries to lock horns with a smiling Lamela, but the two are pulled apart quickly enough, and everyone soon departs for a hot bath after 90 rain-soaked minutes. It wasn’t much of a first half, but Spurs were by some distance the better team in the second, even if Arsenal had a couple of chances to snatch something right at the end. Tottenham go into third place, seven points clear of their bitter rivals, who stay stuck in sixth. A top-four finish for Arsenal isn’t a pipe dream yet - it’s still only February - but they’ll need to keep going in the Europa League, just in case.
Updated
90 min +5: A long ball by Arsenal. Welbeck brings it down to the left of the D. Dembele hangs out a leg. Welbeck doesn’t need asking twice. He goes over it. Free kick. Ozil takes, but blasts it straight into the wall! Arsenal have had their chances to equalise in injury time, but that is surely that!
90 min +3: Arsenal so nearly snatch a draw! Iwobi, from deep, slides a pass down the inside-right for Lacazette, who zips past a confused Sanchez and into the box. He enters the area and beats Lloris with his low shot, but the ball squeaks past the left-hand post and out for a goal kick! What a chance that was!
Updated
90 min +2: Space for Aubameyang out on the left. He’s got Lacazette and Welbeck in the box, but slices his cross behind for a goal kick.
90 min +1: Bellerin romps down the right and loops long. The ball’s dropping perfectly for Lacazette, in the box to the left of goal, 12 yards out. A great chance, but he balloons a dreadful volley over the bar. Not the easiest chance, but not the hardest to get at least on target for a striker of his quality.
90 min: There will be four added minutes.
89 min: Lamela is set free down the inside-left channel by a simple long ball from Davies. He looked offside, but there’s no flag, and he’s clear in the box! But from a tight angle, he drags his shot across the face of goal. Spurs have wasted some chances since going ahead.
88 min: It’s still pelting down at Wembley. Ozil tries to set Monreal away into space down the left, but the ball skids off the turf and out for a goal kick.
86 min: Arsenal are really going for it now: Welbeck comes on for Xhaka. And then Aubameyang wins a corner for the Gunners down the left. A rare chance to worry Spurs. But Trippier heads the set piece clear. Wilshere tries to release Welbeck by returning the ball down the left; sadly for the visitors, Welbeck can’t sort his feet out to trap, and the pass trundles through to Lloris.
85 min: Before it can be taken, Alli is replaced by Wanyama. Alli doesn’t rush off, making his sweet way in the professional style. The corner comes to nothing.
84 min: Kane bothers Monreal down the Spurs right, and earns a corner he had no right to win.
82 min: Ozil drops deep and slips a pass down the left for Aubameyang, who opens his legs and tears goalwards. The flag goes up again, and this time there’s absolutely no debate: he’s offside.
80 min: Some space for Lacazette down the right. He’s flagged for offside, having been far too eager. He shakes his head sadly. Arsenal will fall seven points behind Tottenham if they fail to get it together in the next ten minutes or so.
79 min: Lamela is booked for a clip on Wilshere’s ankles. He looks incensed at the decision, but the referee had little choice: it was a clumsy sliding tackle, and late.
77 min: A little bit of possession in the middle of the park for Arsenal. It steadies the ship - Spurs aren’t attacking - but time’s not on their side. They need to step it up a bit, and quickly.
75 min: Arsenal are doing nothing up front, despite all their attackers. Spurs are the only ones who look like scoring. Eriksen dances down the left. He scoops a cross to the far post, where Tripper is racing in at speed. He meets the ball ten yards out, and batters a fine shot goalwards. But while Cech’s kicking has left a lot to be desired, he’s making some fine saves, and here’s another. He’s keeping Arsenal in this, almost single-handedly.
73 min: The resulting corner comes to nought. Mustafi has been booked, meanwhile, for bothering Vertonghen in the physical style.
72 min: Lamela dances down the right and shoots from a tight angle. Cech does very well to turn it around the post. How many chances are Spurs going to turn down? Having said that, the Arsenal goal is leading a very charmed life right now.
71 min: Cech really needs to get rid of the clown boots he’s recently started wearing. He pings a pass to his right, intended for Mustafi. It goes straight to Alli, who very nearly takes it under control. Not quite: the ball breaks out for a goal kick. And then Arsenal overplay in defence again, Lamela picking up possession and releasing Alli down the middle with a clever flick. Alli nips it past the advancing Cech, but the ball bounces wide right of the empty net.
70 min: Alli sashays in from the right and rolls a pass towards Son on the left-hand edge of the Arsenal D. Son looks to curl one into the top right, a first-time effort. It’s wild, wide, high, and his last input into today’s story. He’s replaced by Lamela.
68 min: And now a reminder that, for all Tottenham’s dominance, there’s still only one goal in it. Wilshere takes a touch on the edge of the Spurs D, and turning to his left, swishes a magnificent shot towards the top left. Lloris gets behind it, saving wonderfully. Great football all round.
67 min: Kane sends a pass towards Son down the left. Son can’t take the ball with him as he tears down the channel. Had he managed to do so, Arsenal were in a heap of trouble.
65 min: Wenger rolls the dice. Iwobi and Lacazette come on; Elneny and Mkhitaryan make way. Arsenal are going for it. Lacazette’s first act is to be caught offside while fiddling with his socks!
Updated
64 min: Xhaka clears the corner. But Arsenal can’t continue like this. It’s attack versus defence at the moment.
63 min: Cech punches the corner clear, then catches the ball as Eriksen sends it in the box once more. Arsenal are holding on a little here. They’ve done nothing of note since the break. And it looks like there’s movement on the bench. But first, another Spurs corner, this time from the right.
62 min: Eriksen takes. Son, at the near post, tries to back-flick an effort into the bottom left. Spurs make do with the corner.
61 min: Arsenal desperately need something. A top-four finish is increasingly looking like a pipe dream. They can’t afford to fall seven points behind Spurs, who are moving into third spot this afternoon if they can keep a hold of their lead. Out on the Spurs left, Mustafi clips Alli to the ground. A pointless foul, as Alli was going nowhere. And it’s a chance for the home side to load the box.
59 min: Apparently Wenger was claiming Kane fouled Koscielny as he Nat Lofthoused that header into the net. But replays suggest it was a fair aerial battle. Wembley is bursting with noise, incidentally. The home fans are enjoying this.
57 min: Eriksen curls powerfully over the Arsenal wall and towards the top left. It’s heading in, so that’s a fine save by Cech, who fingertips over at full stretch. The corner from the left is sent deep, and Vertonghen heads wide right from close range. Chance.
56 min: Son is brought down to the left of the D by a hectic lunge from Bellerin. This is a dangerous free kick in Eriksen Country.
54 min: The corner is no use. But Spurs have come out for the second half flying. They’ve enjoyed 72% possession since the goal.
53 min: Mkhitaryan is flagged offside down the Arsenal left. Spurs take the free kick quickly, and storm up the other end. Tripper makes himself space down the right, and scoops a cross into the middle. On the edge of the box: Mr Harry Kane, who meets the dropping ball with a screeching volley. It’s straight at Cech, who parries well. The rebound nearly falls for Son, but Spurs will have to make do with a corner.
51 min: And it’s nearly two. Dier loops in from the right. Kane, on the penalty spot, heads down towards the bottom left. It’s inches wide! He should have scored, if we’re being harsh. But the header for the goal was so good, Spurs fans will forgive him everything.
GOAL! Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Arsenal (Kane 49)
This is really simple. Davies romps down the left and curls in. Kane, on the penalty spot, rises above Koscielny and plants a header past a flat-footed Cech and into the bottom left. But what a cross. And what a header! Perfectly placed. Cech had no chance. Majestic.
Updated
48 min: Cech, the ball at his feet, drops a shoulder and very nearly replicates his Swansea mistake. Kane very nearly nicks the ball off him, but Cech somehow gets out of the pocket and hacks clear.
46 min: Spurs like to start quickly - just ask Manchester United - and they nearly catch Arsenal cold here. Alli should probably shoot from the edge of the box - he’s got time and space - but opts to slip the ball left for Son, with a snoozing Arsenal light at the back. Bellerin gets over to hassle Son, though, and the chance to work Cech is gone.
And we’re off again! According to the good folk of BT Sport, there’s only been one goalless draw in the last 46 matches between these two sides. So here’s hoping. Spurs get the second half underway.
Live action in lieu of football:
HALF TIME: Tottenham Hotspur 0-0 Arsenal
And that’s that for a half in which Aubameyang was harshly flagged offside when through on goal, and Kane missed a very good chance. Otherwise, not a great deal to report. Never mind, there’s another 45 minutes to come!
Updated
44 min: Dembele comes through the back of Wilshere. But lightly, and gets away with it. A free kick in the midfield, nothing more, though you’ve seen yellow cards awarded.
42 min: Mustafi rakes a long ball down the right, in the hope of releasing Ozil towards the penalty area. Cech gathers. This half is petering out.
40 min: Bellerin has a dig from 25 yards on the right. Not quite. But it’s worth a shot. The keepers haven’t had much to do.
39 min: Ozil, dribbling down the inside right, scoops left for Monreal, who looks for Aubameyang in the middle. But his cross is cut out by Sanchez, who miscues his clearance but somehow gets the ball back to Lloris in the end.
38 min: Mustafi tries to hoick the ball upfield along the Arsenal right, but only manages to handle it. Free kick, and a chance for Tottenham to load the box. Eriksen curls it into the mixer. Mustafi makes good by winning the clearing header, and Kane had roamed offside anyway.
37 min: Eriksen tries to release Son down the left, but his pass along the channel skims off the turf and flies out for a goal kick. It’s becoming that sort of game.
36 min: It’s gone scrappy again. Two-pass sequences at a premium.
34 min: Arsenal press Spurs back. Wilshere makes towards the area, and thinks about shooting. He may as well have, because he passed left for Mkhitaryan, who entered the box then ballooned a very strange cross out of play on the right. A chance to trouble Spurs spurned.
32 min: The rain is pelting down now. Eriksen shovels a pass down the left, in the hope of releasing Kane into the area, but Mustafi comes across to snuff out the danger.
31 min: Kane passes down the left for Alli, who scampers into space. Eriksen is busting a gut down the centre to get into the Arsenal box. But he can’t make it there quickly enough, and Alli’s eventual cross is easily snaffled by Cech.
29 min: Another corner for Spurs on the left. They’re having a lot of joy down that flank. Arsenal only half clear the set piece, and it falls to Dembele on the edge of the area. He shoots. But no Wanyama he. A dribbler ends up in Cech’s arms.
27 min: What a miss by Harry Kane! Eriksen whips a cross into the Arsenal box from the left. Kane beats the last man and meets it with his head, six yards out. But he clangs it over the bar. The cross was travelling some, but Kane’s a world-class finisher so that counts as a poor miss. His reaction suggests he’d agree: he looks sheepishly over to the linesman, in the hope of being flagged offside. But there’s no flag, and it would have counted.
Updated
25 min: Vertonghen spreads a pass wide right for Trippier, who hooks into the Arsenal box. From a position level with the right-hand post, 12 yards out, Eriksen looks to flick a clever header over Cech and into the top left. He doesn’t quite get enough loop on it, and Cech claims.
23 min: The pace has slowed considerably. Another lull. Mkhitaryan shanks a pass out of play on the left. All of a sudden, it’s all a bit disjointed.
21 min: Dembele sells Vertonghen short in the midfield. Wilshere nicks possession. For a second, Spurs are light at the back as Arsenal stream forward. But the move quickly loses momentum, there’s too much hesitation all round, and eventually Mkhitaryan sends a dismal cross in from the left. Far too long, and the danger is gone.
19 min: Bellerin makes good down the right and his cross is deflected towards Wilshere on the edge of the box. Chance for a shot, but Wilshere takes a fresh-air swipe, much to the delight of the home fans.
18 min: Son has a bash from 25 yards out on the left, Spurs having latched onto a poor Mustafi clearance. The shot’s not up to much, dribbling towards the bottom left. Cech smothers.
17 min: Then they suddenly break forward, Alli and Son taking turns to dribble with purpose down the left. Bellerin holds them up, a difficult job done well.
16 min: The first slight lull in the game, as Spurs stroke it around the middle in the sterile fashion.
14 min: Another corner for Spurs out on the left. This one’s lumped into the mixer in the no-nonsense style. Dier rises highest to meet it, but can only flash a header wide right from ten yards. Never troubling Cech’s goal. Good luck calling the opening goal in this match: both teams are playing on the front foot.
12 min: Wilshere, dropping deep down the right, plays a stunning reverse pass down the flank to release Aubameyang on goal! That’s a glorious threaded pass, and Spurs are split in two. But the flag goes up. That decision was very tight. In fact Aubameyang looked level. Most would certainly give the benefit of the doubt to the attacker, put it that way. But to be fair, Aubameyang doesn’t complain.
Updated
10 min: Arsenal go straight up the other end, Mkhitaryan looping a cross into the Spurs box from the left. It’s too strong for Ozil to get on the end of. Close, though. This is a highly entertaining end-to-end start, both sides looking very dangerous on the counter.
9 min: Now it’s Tottenham’s turn to stream forward. Alli goes down the inside-left and bursts into the box. His low cross, meant for Kane in the centre, is poked out of play by Mustafi. That’s fine last-ditch defending. The corner is shuttled back up the left wing for Alli, who attempts an elaborate curler into the top right. Nope. Cech claims with a yawn.
Updated
7 min: From the poor Spurs corner, Arsenal break, and Ozil should really find either Mkhitaryan or Aubameyang with a long pass forward. He doesn’t, though. As Spurs had only one man back, the misplaced pass counts as a great chance spurned.
6 min: Son goes tearing down the left and very nearly works space to cross. Not quite. No worries, he soon goes again, a stepover confusing Bellerin. He wins a corner. The delivery is no good at all.
4 min: And Spurs will have their work cut out keeping Aubameyang quiet. He scampers after what looks like a lost cause down the right, yet wins a corner off a slightly dozy Sanchez. The set piece comes to nothing, but the striker’s given Sanchez notice of a difficult afternoon to come.
3 min: Son causes Arsenal some momentary panic down the left. He was brilliant down that flank on Wednesday night. Only Newport, you might say. But then Son is brilliant pretty much against everyone. Arsenal will have their work cut out keeping him quiet.
2 min: A long ball for Alli to chase. Koscielny makes sure there’s no joy for Spurs, though Arsenal looked light at the back for a split second. A nice open start. A small sample, but the early exchanges suggest both teams are looking to attack, attack, attack.
And we’re off! A huge roar greets the kick-off as Arsenal get the party started. Wembley is bouncing. The visitors stroke it around the back a bit, all the defenders getting a touch. Then for a second there’s a bit of space for Monreal to break into down the left, but Eriksen is quickly over to close him down. Lloris has the ball in his hands soon enough.
The teams are out at Wembley! It’s a dreich February day, but the atmosphere is red hot. It’s one of the classic fixtures in the English football calendar, and there’s a look to match: Tottenham wear their famous lilywhite shirts and dark blue shorts, while Arsenal sport those storied red tops with white sleeves and white breeks. Everybody gorgeous. Friendly handshakes all round; let’s see how long that lasts. We’ll be off in a minute!
Updated
Pre-match reading:
Updated
Mauricio Pochettino speaks! “Always we try to decide the best player for every game. But the team played so well against Manchester United and Liverpool, I could go in with the same players. I can trust them. Toby Alderweireld needs to build fitness, it is so important to have Alderweireld, but it is about level of fitness and who is ready to compete in big games. There is no doubt that the team that is going to play is the best team. It is difficult for Lucas Moura, arriving from a different league to adapt. He must build his fitness and get to know his team-mates. If he can contribute and help us, fantastic; if not, he can wait to show his quality.”
Arsene Wenger speaks! “It is more than just a north London derby, it has big importance in the table. We have some ground to make up. We have an opportunity to do it today, and we want to show we are capable to do it. Aaron Ramsey is injured and could not participate. We are an attacking team, bit I have put one more defensive midfielder in. Jack Wilshere was sick but I hope he is back to his level, he had a good training week. But we only know during competition.”
Tottenham Hotspur gave their side a good old shoogle on Wednesday against League Two Newport County in the cup, so perhaps it’s more instructive to compare today’s starting XI to the one sent out at Anfield last week. And if it ain’t broke ... Mauricio Pochettino names the same team that performed so brilliantly in the second half against Liverpool on Sunday. Meanwhile the new £23m winger Lucas Moura is on the bench, chomping at the bit.
Arsenal make two changes to the side that swatted aside Everton in 19 minutes last Saturday. Alex Iwobi drops to the bench while hat-trick hero Aaron Ramsey misses out altogether. In come Mohamed Elneny and Jack Wilshere. Petr Cech had been a doubt with a calf injury but he’s passed the test.
Updated
The teams
Tottenham Hotspur: Lloris, Trippier, Sanchez, Vertonghen, Davies, Dier, Dembele, Alli, Eriksen, Kane, Son.
Subs: Rose, Lamela, Wanyama, Vorm, Sissoko, Aurier, Lucas Moura.
Arsenal: Cech, Bellerin, Mustafi, Koscielny, Monreal, Elneny, Xhaka, Ozil, Wilshere, Mkhitaryan, Aubameyang.
Subs: Lacazette, Ospina, Iwobi, Chambers, Welbeck, Maitland-Niles, Kolasinac.
Referee: Anthony Taylor (Cheshire).
Updated
Preamble
Welcome to the first North London derby at Wembley for a quarter of a century. Back in April 1993, Tony Adams headed home Paul Merson’s cross with 11 minutes of a dour FA Cup semi-final remaining. Arsenal’s 1-0 win avenged Tottenham’s famous Paul Gascoigne inspired victory at the same stage two years earlier. It’s been a while.
The great rivals head west today in great heart. Tottenham have made the national stadium home, and haven’t lost there since a weird second-half League Cup capitulation to West Ham back in October. They’re fifth in the table, unbeaten since mid December, and recently scored a goal in 10.48 seconds against a defence tutored by Jose Mourinho. Lucas Moura could make his debut today. Spirits are high.
Arsenal meanwhile were rocking for a bit back there. A five-game winless run at the turn of the year put a top-four finish in jeopardy and saw them relinquish their grip on the FA Cup. But they signed Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Henrik Mkhitaryan, made it to the League Cup final at the expense of Chelsea, and ran up a cricket score against Everton. Spirits are high.
Who will maintain their buzz this lunchtime? Spurs are looking for a win that will catapult them into third place, seven points above their great rivals. Arsenal meanwhile want to end a three-match losing streak on the road, and close the gap between themselves and fifth-placed Spurs to a point. It’s a crucial game that could define the season of both clubs. It’s the 195th North London derby. It’s on!
Kick off: 12.30pm GMT.
Updated
