[3] Although the two teams first played each other in 1887, the rivalry did not begin until 1913 when Arsenal moved their ground to North London from Woolwich, south of the River Thames.[6] The highest-scoring game in the North London derby is the 5–4 win by Arsenal at White Hart Lane in November 2004.The two teams first faced each other as north London rivals in a War Relief Fund friendly on 22 August 1914 at White Hart Lane.[17] After an endorsement by League president and chairman of Liverpool John McKenna on account of their longer membership of the League, Arsenal won the vote by eighteen votes to Spurs' eight (Barnsley got five, Wolves four, Nottingham Forest three, Birmingham two and Hull City one) and were thus elected to the First Division.It has been frequently alleged that Arsenal chairman Sir Henry Norris used underhand dealings in order to bring this about, although nothing has been proven.[21] Despite the setback, Tottenham were soon promoted back into the top flight after taking the 1919–20 Second Division title,[22] and the derby began to be regularly contested.[2][4] Relations between the two clubs improved somewhat after the Second World War, after Tottenham allowed Arsenal to play their home matches at White Hart Lane while Highbury was requisitioned as an ARP station and subsequently bombed.Walcott subsequently made a gesture on the stretcher to the Tottenham fans which reflected, at that point in time, the 2-0 scoreline of the game which it finished as eventually.[25][26] On 30 April 2017, Tottenham beat Arsenal 2–0 in the final North London Derby at White Hart Lane.[36] In an attempt to draw the sting from these chants, Tottenham fans (whether Jewish or not) adopted the words "yid" and "yiddo" for themselves and thereby turned a pejorative into a term of pride and belonging.[39][40] Although Arsenal and Tottenham have never met in a major cup final, there have been North London derby matches that have significantly contributed to one of the two clubs winning a trophy, such as semi-finals and title deciders.[1] Adebayor also formerly shared the record for most goals by a player in the North London derby with ten: eight scored for Arsenal and two for Tottenham.The first player to have played for both clubs, however, predated the start of the rivalry; Bill Julian joined Royal Arsenal in 1889 and Tottenham in 1894.[52] Many other players played for both clubs before the start of the rivalry, including Charles Ambler, Arthur Elliott, Thomas Fitchie, Tom Pratt, Peter Kyle, and George Payne.George Graham was firstly an Arsenal player, then managed the Gunners between 1986 and 1994, before later taking up the reins at White Hart Lane between 1998 and 2001.[61] Forward Billy Lane first played for Tottenham during 1922 and again from 1924 in a two-year stint at the club, but started in 1963 to feature as a scout for Arsenal.
The traditional first kits of Arsenal (left) and Tottenham Hotspur (right).
Kick-off for the second half at the north London derby, 20 November 2010. Arsenal were 2–0 up at this point, but were beaten 3–2.
Arsenal's
Theo Walcott
and
William Gallas
of Tottenham in the North London Derby of November 2012 which Arsenal won 5–2.
Tottenham Hotspur playing Arsenal in the
2009–10 Premier League
at
White Hart Lane
. Tottenham fans are singing a chant, which condemns
Sol Campbell
and praises
Ledley King
. Sol Campbell had been targeted by Tottenham fans since he had moved from Spurs to their north London rivals in 2001.
Side-by-side comparison of Arsenal's and Tottenham Hotspur's final league positions 1894 to the present