Ange's unbeaten start, a north London derby first and our comeback record | Arsenal vs Spurs
Fri 22 September 2023, 16:00|
Tottenham Hotspur
The first north London derby of the season is upon us as we travel to Arsenal in the Premier League on Sunday (kick-off 2pm UK).
Ange Postecoglou heads into his first and the Club's 194th edition of this fixture on the back of our best ever start in the Premier League and best start to a league campaign after five matches since 1965/66, winning four and drawing one to match Bill Nicholson's feat 58 years prior. As if by fate, the sixth fixture that season was a league encounter with Arsenal which ended 2-2 at White Hart Lane.
In 2023/24, Mikel Arteta's side have also matched our start to sit level on points but are currently two places behind us on goal difference ahead of the clash at Emirates Stadium. This is first time in the Premier League and only the third time in the fixture's 173-game league history that both sides go into the derby after an unbeaten start, having done so in the original Division One in 1961/62 (won 4-3 - from being 3-2 down late on) and 1990/91 (drew 0-0).
When it comes to points gained from losing positions, our Head Coach has instilled a belief and spirit amongst the squad to put together a five-game unbeaten start that has included recent comeback victories over Burnley and Sheffield United, having already earned a point from 2-1 down at Brentford on the opening day.
Since the league's inception in 1992/93, we have accumulated the most points of any side in the top flight when trailing in matches (427 points), adding seven to that total this season with only Liverpool's nine points surpassing our tally so far.
Our most recent 2-1 win over the Blades, in particular, broke the record for both the league's latest winning comeback and match-winning goal with Richarlison and Dejan Kulusevski scoring in the final four minutes of 12 added on to clinch all three points.
Watch - Matchday Uncut | Spurs 2-1 Sheffield United
The Gunners also remain unbeaten from losing positions in the league having recovered from 1-0 deficits on two occasions to draw 2-2 with Fulham and beat Manchester United 3-1, a record shared by Manchester City and Liverpool this term.
Interestingly, the north London derby has seen the team that scored first fail to win on 28 occasions in the Premier League (18 draws, 10 losses) - the highest of any fixture in the division.
Without an away win against our north London rivals since our 3-2 victory at the Emirates in November, 2010, Ange is tasked with his biggest challenge since taking over as Head Coach this summer but one the Australian is relishing given the significance of the game.
