Arsenal might have lost the title with a draw against West Ham – but they've all but finished above Tottenham for the first time since 2016
(Image credit: David Price/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Arsenal may not have got the result that they were looking for against West Ham United – but there is still good news when it comes to their closest rivals.
The Gunners' single point earned at the London Stadium has put them on 74 for the season with seven games remaining in this Premier League season. That's a full 21 points clear of neighbours, managerless Tottenham Hotspur, who sit in fifth place in the table on 53 points.
Tottenham dropped all three points in a dramatic afternoon at home to Bournemouth yesterday, after taking the lead. In a subpar season in which Antonio Conte has been sacked, Spurs have also lost twice against their bitterest foes as the Gunners chase down their first title in 19 years.
With a goal difference swing of 31 between Arsenal and Spurs, it would take the Lilywhites winning every one of their remaining fixtures and hoping that Arsenal lose every single one of theirs in order to finish above them on goal difference.
In recent seasons, however, the tide has firmly turned in north London. Arsenal managed two decades as the dominant force under Arsene Wenger, with Gooners celebrating 'St. Totteringham's Day': the date in the calendar in which it becomes mathematically impossible for their rivals to finish above them in the league.
In 2015/16, the fight between the pair went down to the wire, as Spurs' final-day collapse against Newcastle United put them third, a place between Arsenal – but the following season, they beat Wenger's side in the final North London Derby at White Hart Lane to finish above them for the first time in a generation.
Tottenham have had bragging rights over Arsenal in recent seasons (Image credit: Getty Images)
Tottenham have finished above Arsenal in each season since, last year pipping them to Champions League football on the final day of the season, following Mikel Arteta's side suffering defeats away in the derby and at St. James' Park to Newcastle to let fourth place slip.
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The gulf between the pair has been evident this season, though. Arsenal still sit top, despite dropping two points today.
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Mark White has been at on FourFourTwo since joining in January 2020, first as a staff writer before becoming content editor in 2023. An encyclopedia of football shirts and boots knowledge – both past and present – Mark has also represented FFT at both FA Cup and League Cup finals (though didn't receive a winners' medal on either occasion) and has written pieces for the mag ranging on subjects from Bobby Robson's season at Barcelona to Robinho's career. He has written cover features for the mag on Mikel Arteta and Martin Odegaard, and is assisted by his cat, Rosie, who has interned for the brand since lockdown.
