On Sunday afternoon, Arsenal beat Spurs 4-1 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in a result that may prove crucial at both ends of the table come May. The win for Mikel Arteta’s men restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League and it also meant Spurs stayed 16th. That’s just one place higher than Tottenham finished last term, but this season they are in a serious relegation battle, whereas in 2024/25 they never really looked in danger and finished 13 points clear of the drop zone.
Arsenal fully deserved their win, and the margin of victory was probably a fair reflection of the game. It means the Gunners have now beaten Spurs 4-1 both home and away this season. If the Gunners go on to claim the title, this will surely be one of the worst seasons ever for Spurs fans, even if their side manages to stay in the top flight.
Spurs are, like Arsenal, one of the six teams to have competed in every single Premier League campaign. There is no question that they are in real danger this year, probably more than they have ever been in the Premier League era. They have a terrible list of injuries, and given their continued involvement in the Champions League, their lack of squad depth could be a real issue over the remaining 11 league games they have to face.
Of the two north London giants, there is no doubt that Arsenal have enjoyed more success over the years. By almost any metric, the Gunners come out on top, whether we look at glory in the Premier League, overall trophies or even the head-to-head record between the two.
Historic Fifth Win in a Row for Arteta
BOUNCING BACK WITH A BIG WIN. pic.twitter.com/gmXcunGGwy
— Arsenal (@Arsenal) February 22, 2026
Arsenal’s two league wins over their rivals this term mean that overall they have won 91 derbies compared to 67 for Spurs, with 55 draws. Alternative stats, varying according to which earlier matches are included or not, put the figures at 86 Arsenal wins, 61 Tottenham victories and 52 draws.
However one looks at it, though, Arsenal have the superior record, and in recent seasons those H2H numbers have only been getting redder and redder. The latest Arsenal victory was their fifth in a row against Spurs, and this meant that Arteta had achieved something that none of his predecessors in the Premier League era had.
The last time Arsenal beat Spurs five times in a row was back in the late 1980s, another great era for the Gunners. Under the legendary George Graham, they won six derbies in succession between March 1987 and January 1989. Two of those wins came in League Cup action, but Arsenal also won five league clashes in a row during that time.
Back in the Graham years, Arsenal won eight out of 10 meetings with Spurs, losing two, with one of those defeats occurring in another League Cup clash. That means they enjoyed a very similar run to the one Arteta’s side is now putting together. This current crop of players has now gone eight games against Tottenham without defeat and has won nine of the last 11 (losing just once, with one clash drawn).
Arsenal’s Current Run
Spurs beat the Gunners 2-0 on the 6th of December 2020, but since then it has been pretty much one-way traffic in this fixture.
- 14/3/21 – Arsenal win 2-1 (PL)
- 26/9/21 – Arsenal win 3-1 (PL)
- 12/5/22 – Spurs win 3-0 (PL)
- 1/10/22 – Arsenal win 3-1 (PL)
- 15/1/23 – Arsenal win 2-0 (PL)
- 24/9/23 – Arsenal draw 2-2 (PL)
- 28/4/24 – Arsenal win 3-2 (PL)
- 15/9/24 – Arsenal win 1-0 (PL)
- 15/1/25 – Arsenal win 2-1 (PL)
- 23/11/25 – Arsenal win 4-1 (PL)
- 22/2/26 – Arsenal win 4-1 (PL)
Arsenal have also had a sequence of six wins in a row against Tottenham in the late 1970s and early 80s, with all six of those wins coming in the league. Six derby wins in a row is the record, with Spurs never even coming close to that. This gives Arteta and his side several targets in the derby clashes ahead.
That said, if Spurs go down this year, who knows when the next north London derby clash in the league might be? On the other hand, the rivals could yet meet in this year’s Champions League. The Gunners topped the pile in the league phase, but Spurs did surprisingly well to finish fourth, ahead of Barcelona, Manchester City, Real Madrid and other powerful sides.
Depending on how things pan out, Arsenal could play Spurs in the semi finals of this year’s competition. That would mean a two-legged affair and give the Gunners a chance to do a double-double over their rivals in 2025/26. It would also give them a chance to complete an unprecedented, magnificent seven in a row in terms of derby wins. In an alternative scenario, we could even see a north London derby for the Champions League final! All that said, in a more likely turn of events, Spurs will get knocked out in the round of 16, and that will be that!