The North London Derby!

Tottenham Hotspur 1-0 Arsenal
Premier League
Saturday 10th February 2018

The fixture with the record Premier League attendance: 83,222.

Back in the world which existed before Covid-19 there was a 'bucket list' of football fixtures which I was determined to see at some point during my football journey.

The list included many 'big' games such as The FA Cup Final (attended in 2013), various Play-Off finals across England's divisions and also numerous local derbies or matches between clubs with intense rivalries (such as West Ham vs Millwall) which wouldn't necessarily take place every season.

The moment it became concrete that Tottenham Hotspur would be uprooting to Wembley Stadium whilst they constructed their magnificent new billion-pound ground, it was always my intention to get tickets for their North London derby 'home game' against arch-enemies Arsenal.

It was always a problem during their days at White Hart Lane simply because the 35,000 capacity meant demand always far outweighed supply. Tickets would rarely make General Sale for Premier League games against Crystal Palace or Southampton, let alone Arsenal, so it was nigh on impossible to get hold of them. Even for cup games, it'd still have been easier to obtain rocking horse poo! 

Nevertheless, with Wembley holding 90,000 then I hoped the previous issues wouldn't now pose any problems - especially as Spurs' early-season attendances for league games during their exile at the stadium were often around the 50,000 mark. Ultimately, they did become available and as soon as they were, I was quick off the mark to ensure that I wouldn't miss out. It wasn't quite a once in a lifetime opportunity or anything (for me, that would be going to Boca Juniors or River Plate) but I'd simply waited long enough for this opportunity to arise!

At the time, Arsenal were still managed by the much-maligned Arsene Wenger. 

Undoubtedly the greatest manager in the Gunners' history, up until the season previously the Frenchman had continuously achieved a top four spot which ensured he got 'another year' or 'more time' in the job. It wasn't enough, nevertheless, to appease a forever-growing number of Arsenal's fans who could remember the invincible days under his stewardship, recall their dominance, and now wanted to see him gone - believing a change in manager would coincide with a turn in fortunes on the pitch.

It was fair to say the balance of power in North London was beginning to swing in Tottenham's favour after years of playing second fiddle to their arch-enemies.

The Lilywhites were going well under Mauricio Pochettino and had finished in second position in the Premier League in the 2016/17 campaign - importantly, above Arsenal for the first time in several years. Their squad consisted of various established performers (who only a few months later would play key roles in England's dramatic World Cup campaign) such as Harry Kane, Eric Dier, Dele Alli, Danny Rose and Kieran Trippier. Collectively, they formed the basis of a strong side and with a sprinkling of foreign talents including Lucas Moura, Son Heung-Min and Victor Wanyama.

Having got down to London early in the morning and got inside Wembley quite early - which allowed for a stroll around the upper tier, I was keen to see what exactly what would unfold and whether it'd be a derby classic or one of those tepid affairs which everyone quickly forgets.

Though I was completely aware of the hatred between the two sets of supporters, even to my surprise I didn't expect the lad sat next to me to be praying to God (honestly!) that Tottenham would win after Harry Kane headed them infront just after half-time. If he'd not been so interested in his over-priced hot dog from one of the vastly over-priced catering kiosks he'd have seen the goal anyway.

Spurs were generally the more creative, inventive and fluid side and were worthy of the three points at least anyway.

It was good to see Wembley full (almost!) with only the 2011 Championship Play-Off Final between Reading and Swansea City having a greater crowd from the 1,000 or so domestic games which I've been to over the years. The actual attendance of 83,222 is a Premier League which still stands at the time of writing (February 2021) and is unlikely to be beaten anytime soon for various reasons.

Having made a quick get away from Wembley as the game was going into stoppage-time - something which had proved costly a week earlier at Schalke vs Werder Bremen, I managed to get up to Canons Park (two stops away) which is where Barnet's Hive Stadium is located - they were playing Notts County and in misty, murky and downright miserable weather that game really was a drop back into reality!

Would I do a North London derby again? Probably not because that's the point of a 'one-off' experience sampling one of the biggest games which English football has to offer.