Sunday 15 May 2016 20:23, UK
Tottenham only needed a draw at already relegated Newcastle to finish above Arsenal for the first time in 21 years. Instead, they were thrashed 5-1 and the Gunners grabbed second at their expense.
You have to look back to the 1994/95 season for the last time Spurs avoided what Arsenal fans have dubbed 'St Totteringham's Day' and finished above their neighbours. Arsene Wenger was still in charge of Monaco and a 22-year-old Mauricio Pochettino had just signed for Espanyol, but the rivalry in north London was just as fierce as it is now.
There was, however, little evidence to suggest Spurs were about to usurp their old rivals. The Lilywhites had finished the previous campaign in 15th while George Graham's Arsenal had clinched a fourth-placed finish and won the European Cup Winners' Cup, but the tables turned dramatically in 1994/95.
Spurs started the season strongly, with Jurgen Klinsmann netting five times as they won three of their first four games. The iconic German would finish the season as their top scorer with 20 Premier League goals, and he was ably supported by the likes of Teddy Sheringham, Darren Anderton and Nick Barmby as Spurs finished seventh.
Arsenal, meanwhile, finished the season in 12th - their lowest league position since the 1975/76 - and the writing was on the wall from the start. The Gunners' back five of David Seaman, Nigel Winterburn, Tony Adams, Martin Keown and Lee Dixon had a reputation for stingy defending, but they struggled as Arsenal lost three of their first six games.
Arsenal's form finally picked up as Ian Wright found his scoring boots during a run of four wins from five games between September and October, while Tottenham's performances dipped dramatically before manager Ossie Ardiles was replaced by Gerry Francis in November.
It proved a shrewd appointment for the Lilywhites, with Spurs embarking on a 10-game unbeaten run between November and January. It included a 1-0 win over their north London rivals thanks to Gica Popescu's winning goal at White Hart Lane, and by the end of January they were six points clear of Arsenal in sixth place.
A few weeks later, Arsenal's long-serving manager Graham was controversially sacked after he was found to have received an illegal payment from an agent three years previously.
The Gunners responded with a 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest and a 3-0 victory against Crystal Palace in the first games of the post-Graham era, but it was downhill from there.
Arsenal slid down the table with a miserable run of six defeats from seven games under caretaker manager Stewart Houston, while Spurs continued to challenge for the European places under Francis.
In the end, it was Arsenal who finished the domestic season stronger with a run of only one defeat from their final five Premier League games, but while Tottenham fell short of the European places, the 11-point gap on the Gunners ensured they still had the bragging rights over their neighbours.
It was a cause for celebration among their fans, but they couldn't possibly have envisaged how long they would have to wait to experience the sensation again.
