Derby drama in the English Premier League
Tottenham face leaders Arsenal in London showdown; in-form Man United play champions Man City
Lee U-Wen
THERE’S something quite special about a derby in the English Premier League (EPL) – a match involving two teams that hail from the same city or the same part of the country.
Throw the form book out the window. These often unpredictable games feature a level of passion and intensity that’s second to none. There’s the incessant cheering and booing by the fans, tackles flying in from all sides of the pitch, and players fighting tooth and nail to get that all-important victory.
This weekend, two of the EPL’s most high-profile derbies take place with plenty on the line. The North London derby sees Tottenham Hotspur take on league leaders Arsenal on Sunday night, with this match kicking off roughly 24 hours after the conclusion of the always fiery Manchester derby at Old Trafford.
BT Weekend breaks down what’s at stake for these four clubs as the 2022/23 EPL season approaches the halfway mark.
Manchester United vs Manchester City (Saturday, 8.30pm kick-off, Singapore time)
This hot-blooded fixture is one that fans around the world – whether they support either Manchester club or not – circle on their calendar as a must-watch.
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United and City have produced so many classics over the years. There was Michael Owen’s astounding 96th-minute goal for the Red Devils in 2009, a strike that gave United a 4-3 win in what is widely regarded as one of the most dramatic EPL games of all time.
In 2011, Wayne Rooney’s breathtaking bicycle kick clinched a 2-1 success for United, with that now iconic goal voted as among the best ever scored in England’s top flight.
The Citizens have had their fair share of statement results too, including a 6-1 thrashing at Old Trafford later that year in a game that signalled the balance of power in English football had started to shift from red to blue in Manchester.
Fast forward to the present, and City are by far the most dominant team in the EPL, having finished first in four of the last five seasons.
Since he joined in 2016, manager Pep Guardiola has moulded a fearsome team that consistently challenges for both domestic and continental honours.
Historically, United still hold the upper hand in derbies in all competitions with 77 victories compared to City’s 58, with 53 games ending all-square. City have triumphed in the last three meetings, the latest being the thumping 6-3 win at the Etihad Stadium last October that was more one-sided than the scoreline suggests.
Of late, however, City have sputtered and there are several cracks emerging in the once-impervious armour that fourth-placed United – currently four points behind their city rivals – will be looking to exploit ahead of the 189th Manchester derby.
City dropped two precious points in a lacklustre draw with Everton on New Year’s Eve before a pair of wins over Chelsea in the league and FA Cup seemingly put them back on track, only to slump to a quarter-final defeat to Southampton in the Carabao Cup on Wednesday.
The EPL’s top scorer Erling Haaland came on as a second-half substitute against Southampton but could not save his team. It’s now three matches in a row that the 22-year-old Norwegian has fired blanks, and this goal-hungry predator usually doesn’t go too long without finding the back of the net.
Scoring doesn’t seem to be much of a problem these days for Marcus Rashford. United’s man of the moment this week became the club’s first player to score in eight consecutive home games since Rooney did so in 2010.
The 25-year-old Rashford has been in irresistible form since returning from World Cup duty. He has scored in United’s last six matches in all competitions home and away, including the only goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers on New Year’s Eve.
The Red Devils, now on their best run of results in four years, look and feel very different ever since Cristiano Ronaldo’s controversial departure in mid-November. Erik ten Hag’s men are playing with purpose and swagger, and there is a firm belief at Old Trafford that a first trophy since 2017 is not too far away.
Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal (Monday, 12.30am)
Every single ticket for this weekend’s North London derby was snapped up long ago, and it’s not difficult to see why.
Matches between Tottenham and Arsenal are extremely competitive and usually feature a bucketful of goals, which make for riveting viewing especially for the neutrals. In January 2008, Spurs defeated Arsenal 5-1 in the League Cup, and nine months later the two rivals battered each other in a heart-stopping 4-4 draw – one of those goals was an exquisite 40-yard lob by David Bentley – that remains among the finest matches ever played in the EPL.
Arsenal drew first blood this season, winning 3-1 at the Emirates Stadium in October that saw Spurs reduced to 10 men after Emerson Royal was sent off.
On Sunday night, Tottenham will seek to return the favour in front of their own supporters, who are poised to witness history if a certain Harry Kane can get on the scoresheet.
Fresh from scoring against Portsmouth in the FA Cup last week, the 29-year-old England captain heads into this heavyweight clash with 265 goals to his name, just one behind the legendary Jimmy Greaves’ all-time Spurs record of 266.
One can only imagine the roar at the venue if Kane could equal or even surpass that tally against Arsenal, the current EPL leaders that are five points ahead of their closest challengers Manchester City and 11 points better off than fifth-placed Spurs.
The last time Spurs and Arsenal met at this magnificent 62,850-seater stadium in May 2022, the thunderous noise that greeted Kane’s successful penalty kick – the first goal in a 3-0 victory – was measured to be just 10 decibels lower than that of a jumbo jet.
It’s not only Kane who poses a goal threat, of course. His strike partner, Son Heung-min, is also eager to add to his goal tally. Last week, the South Korean scored against Crystal Palace as he became the first Asian footballer to start 200 Premier League games.
Son and Kane have scored in 34 different EPL matches together, overtaking Liverpool’s Mohamad Salah and Sadio Mane as the most of any duo.
Ahead of the big match, the 30-year-old Son was named on Friday (Jan 13) as AIA Singapore’s first brand ambassador for Singapore.
AIA is Tottenham’s Global Principal Partner, and the insurer said Son’s new role will him inspire Singaporeans to “live better every day” by promoting holistic wellness in physical health, motivation and mental health, and financial health.
Son, a seven-time Asian Footballer of the Year and the EPL Golden Boot winner last season, has just four goals this season and he will be looking to boost that number against the Gunners and throughout the second half of the campaign.
As for Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal, they make the short trek across town to their neighbours’ stadium with the better head-to-head record in North London derbies. They have 84 wins against Tottenham’s 67, with 54 games drawn.
The Gunners have tasted defeat just once in the league (a 3-1 loss to Manchester United last September) as they continue to press on for a first EPL trophy in 19 years.
Arsenal have coped admirably with the absence of Brazilian forward Gabriel Jesus due to a knee injury sustained at the World Cup. Captain and playmaker Martin Odegaard has been in sublime form of late, with the likes of Mohamed Elneny, Eddie Nketiah, Gabriel Martinelli and Bukayo Saka all chipping in with the goals to keep Arsenal at the summit.
Arteta has his team peaking at the right time, but it’s worth noting they’ve yet to come away from Tottenham’s home ground with all three points since the stadium opened in 2019.
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