'Squeaky bum time': A nervy finish at the Lane
I decided to find out the last time Arsenal won 3-2 at White Hart Lane. Come with me on a journey back to 1988...
It’s 10 September 1988. The third game of the new First Division season for Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur is the North London Derby.
Arsenal have had a mixed start to the campaign, demolishing Wimbledon 5-1 away before faltering at home to Aston Villa, losing 3-2.
Spurs, meanwhile, had only played once, drawing 2-2 with Newcastle United at St James Park.
The two teams had faced each other in the Makita International Tournament a few weeks before, Arsenal cruising to a 4-0 win on the way to winning the friendly competition.1
Spurs started brightly and could have gone ahead when Chris Waddle was put through by Paul Gascoigne on his home debut, but Arsenal ‘keeper John Lukic did enough to force the shot wide.
The Gunners took the lead through an unlikely channel when Tony Adams battled possession in midfield, slalomed past another Spurs player and made an inch-perfect pass into the area to find Nigel Winterburn, who slotted expertly past Bobby Mimms in the Spurs goal.
The home side hit back through Waddle, who finished off a counter-attacking move after Paul Allen had taken advantage of a mix-up between David Rocastle and Paul Davis.
A superb free-kick routine saw Brian Marwood crash the ball home from close range from an Alan Smith knock-down to restore Arsenal’s lead.
The Gunners’ third came almost immediately and was made by Winterburn, who cut inside onto his weaker right foot, only to curl a glorious cross to the far post. It would have been rude for Smith not to score, so he did for 3-1.
Spurs weren’t lying down, and Waddle set up new signing Gascoigne with an excellent reverse pass. Gazza lost his right boot in a tussle with an Arsenal defender but still wrestled himself free to get a shot in. This was blocked by Lukic, but the ball fell straight back to him and he couldn’t miss, turning it into the net with his bootless foot.
All five goals came in a whirlwind 17 minutes, and it wasn’t even half time.
If Arsenal fans felt nervous for the last 10 minutes on Sunday, this game would have been an even worse endurance test. The second half saw the home side pile on the pressure, but Lukic and the Arsenal back line held firm.
Vinny Samways had a goal ruled out for offside, and Smith missed a golden opportunity to make it 4-2 after being set up by Paul Merson.
In the 89th minute, Spurs captain Gary Mabbutt thought he’d stolen a point with a header past Lukic, but it too was ruled out for offside. The Arsenal offside trap had captured three points.
The Gunners held on for the North London bragging rights. The reverse fixture on 2 January 1989 was slightly less nerve-shredding, goals from Michael Thomas and Paul Merson sealing a 2-0 win to keep Arsenal top of the league.
The goals from that White Hart Lane game can be seen below.
This was the first Makita International Tournament, a friendly competition involving four teams. Arsenal played in five of the seven iterations, winning three (1988, 1989 and 1994). Chelsea won it in 1993, and the other three tournaments were won by Italian side Sampdoria.