The Premier League has confirmed that the delayed north London derby between Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal shall be performed subsequent month after the unique fixture was first referred to as off in January.
Arsenal bought the sport postponed shortly after the flip of the yr their squad was severely depleted by a number of COVID-19 circumstances, pre-existing harm considerations and the lack of a number of gamers to the 2022 Africa Cup of Nations, and the decision still had Spurs coach Antonio Conte agitated two months later.
It was announced on Monday that the 2 native rivals will go head-to-head in a night kick-off on Thursday, Might 12 on the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium in what shall be both sides’s third-to-last recreation of the season.
With Champions League qualification nonetheless on the road for either side, Spurs will then play their penultimate Premier League fixture of the marketing campaign towards Burnley simply three days in a while Sunday, Might 15, whereas Arsenal will likewise journey north to Newcastle United for theirs the next night time.
The groups are degree on factors within the race for fourth place (although Arsenal have a recreation in hand) and whereas the results of no single fixture can actually be stated to determine a workforce’s league destiny, it stands to cause {that a} win within the late-season derby would see the victors seize a big benefit over their foes.
There have been a number of examples lately of league titles and Champions League qualification nearly hinging on a single recreation in the course of the remaining weeks of the Premier League season.
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🔵 @ChelseaFC received a top-four showdown with Liverpool#OnThisDay in 2️⃣0️⃣0️⃣3️⃣ pic.twitter.com/r31HlxxIbr
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 11, 2020
Dubbed “the £20 million match,” Chelsea welcomed Liverpool to Stamford Bridge for his or her remaining match of the 2002-03 Premier League season and a recreation they merely HAD to win.
With Roman Abramovich’s game-changing takeover not but on the horizon, the Blues have been buckling below the load of considerable money owed and knew that qualification for the subsequent season’s Champions League could be their ticket out of the pink. Chelsea wanted only one level to safe their place in Europe whereas a win for Liverpool would see Gerard Houllier’s aspect muscle them apart and declare the continental spoils.
The fateful purpose got here after simply 27 minutes, when Jesper Gronkjaer scored to seal a 2-1 win for Chelsea — a momentous strike that in the end sparked a brand new period of success at Chelsea whereas additionally consigning Liverpool to a tilt on the UEFA Cup. It was additionally the Blues’ remaining aggressive recreation earlier than Abramovich purchased the membership, with qualification for the Champions League a pivotal issue within the Russian oligarch’s resolution to put money into Stamford Bridge slightly than elsewhere.
Manchester City 0-1 Tottenham Hotspur, 2010 and Manchester Metropolis 1-0 Tottenham Hotspur, 2011
With the untold riches of European soccer up for grabs, Metropolis and Spurs traded blows on the tail finish of consecutive seasons as the 2 sides scrambled to earn themselves a spot within the Champions League.
In Might 2010, a late Peter Crouch header was enough to seal a 1-0 victory for Spurs on the Etihad that subsequently noticed them nudge Metropolis apart, end fourth and go on to achieve the quarterfinals in Europe the next season.
Then, nearly precisely one yr later, the 2 groups reconvened with each chasing the final of the 4 Champions League qualification locations on supply. Historical past repeated itself as Crouch steered dwelling the one purpose of the sport. Sadly, this time the striker unwittingly diverted a cross into his personal internet handy the victory to Metropolis, securing them a spot at Europe’s prime desk whereas Spurs needed to accept a Europa League spot as comfort.
“Staggering! Just staggering!”#OnThisDay @ManCity pic.twitter.com/B5fS6kdNVU
— Premier League (@premierleague) May 13, 2019
Even informal soccer followers shall be effectively acquainted with how Metropolis’s historic 2011-12 Premier League season got here to its giddy conclusion, but it surely’s additionally value noting that the well-known “AGUEROOOOO!” purpose towards Queens Park Rangers was teed up by a landmark win for Metropolis within the Manchester derby the earlier month.
Each Metropolis and United have been determined to win the title; the previous chasing their first top-flight championship in over 4 many years and the latter determined to stop their “noisy neighbours” from shifting the steadiness of energy. Having trailed United by eight factors simply three weeks earlier, Vincent Kompany‘s header simply earlier than half-time earned a 1-0 win in a momentous Monday night time derby that noticed Metropolis finish the day prime of the desk on purpose distinction with simply two video games remaining.
Metropolis’s vastly superior purpose distinction meant they went into the ultimate day of the season understanding {that a} victory over relegation-threatened QPR could be sufficient for them to pip United to the title by the slimmest of margins. Roberto Mancini’s aspect had even launched into a five-match profitable streak beforehand to make sure their destiny was in their very own arms.
Nonetheless, with 4 minutes of your entire marketing campaign remaining, Metropolis have been trailing 2-1 and issues have been getting frantic. Simply to ramp up the strain, the ultimate whistle had already gone in United’s final-day victory over Sunderland which means that Sir Alex Ferguson’s expenses had risen to the summit of the desk as issues stood. Then simply because it seemed like Metropolis’s arduous look forward to a league title would possibly tick over right into a forty fifth yr, two ridiculously dramatic late objectives from Edin Dzeko and Sergio Aguero deep into stoppage time saw the pendulum swing back to the City of Manchester Stadium amid scenes of epic, chaotic celebration.
Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea, Premier League, 2014
Liverpool 0-2 Chelsea, #onthisday in 2014.
Nicely value watching the highlights once more! 👌 pic.twitter.com/y5zxntNYrW
— Chelsea FC (@ChelseaFC) April 27, 2020
Liverpool have been in imperious kind because the 2013-14 Premier League season neared its conclusion with Brendan Rodgers’ aspect powering to an 11-game profitable streak earlier than Chelsea got here to city in April 2014. High of the desk with two weeks of the season remaining, issues seemed on the right track for the Reds’ to say their first-ever Premier League title. A victory over Jose Mourinho’s aspect, who have been nonetheless in with a shout of defending their title, at Anfield and they might have had one hand on the trophy.
Nonetheless, Liverpool followers watched on in horror as membership captain Steven Gerrard was the man to let things slip, and Chelsea scored two breakaway objectives in first and second-half harm time to earn a smash-and-grab 2-0 win.
Liverpool then started to capitulate, drawing their subsequent recreation towards Crystal Palace whereas title rivals Manchester Metropolis received their remaining 5 video games of the marketing campaign to surge up from third place to pilfer the championship having topped the desk for simply 14 days all season.
