Tottenham has chance to clinch better finish than Arsenal for first time since 1995

For 22 years, there has been one certainty in the English Premier League: Arsenal finishing above Tottenham. That can change on Sunday.

Associated Press | Apr 27, 2017

Tottenham has chance to clinch better finish than Arsenal for first time since 1995 /

LONDON (AP) – For 22 years, there has been one certainty in the English Premier League: Arsenal finishing above Tottenham.

Arsenal fans have even coined a term to celebrate the point in the season when their team cannot be overtaken in the standings by Tottenham: St. Totteringham's Day .

Even when Tottenham entered the final day of last season in second place behind Leicester, a loss to already-relegated Newcastle still allowed Arsenal to overhaul its north London neighbor.

That looks like it's about to change, and it could come as soon as Sunday. If Tottenham wins the derby, there will be no St. Totteringham's Day celebrations this year. The constant in Arsene Wenger's 21-year reign will have been eradicated, and Tottenham will have secured its first finish above Arsenal since 1995.

''It's not a motivation and it's not a distraction,'' Tottenham manager Mauricio Pochettino said. ''We know what that game means but we are not thinking about being above Arsenal.''

Yet.

Unlike Arsenal, for once Tottenham has greater ambitions: A first league title since 1961. It relies on Chelsea dropping points and Tottenham extending its first eight-game winning run in the league since its last title-winning season. With five games remaining, Chelsea is four points in front.

EPL Notes: Arsenal tops Man City in FA Cup semifinal, Spurs collapse in crunch time, more

''Our challenge now is to reduce the gap again with Chelsea and to think bigger things than only to be above Arsenal,'' Pochettino said. ''One day to achieve big trophies, your mentality must be bigger, thinking about big dreams.''

Arsenal has won the league six times since Tottenham's last success. Now, though, the Gunners are in a scrap to make the top four and qualify for the Champions League after sinking to sixth place, 14 points behind second-place Tottenham.

Arsenal's financial supremacy over Tottenham–paying vastly bigger transfer fees and salaries–is no longer reflected on the field.

The three derbies since Tottenham's February 2015 success have been draws, and Pochettino's team looks to be the one more capable of killing off games–unlike so often in the history of the rivalry.

Dele Alli, whose dynamism and scent for goals has already guaranteed Tottenham's biggest point haul in the Premier League era, wasn't even born the last time Arsenal finished behind his team.

Wenger's 50th north London derby comes at a time of uncertainty and change. Wenger's contract expires at the end of the season, with no announcement yet about his future, and Tottenham is preparing to leave White Hart Lane for a new stadium on the same site.

It'll have a 61,000-capacity–1,000 more seats than Arsenal's Emirates Stadium. But Tottenham hopes for more than symbolic victories over their neighbors in future.

Top 10 club rivalries in world soccer

10. Soweto Derby: Orlando Pirates vs. Kaizer Chiefs

Shiraaz Mohamed/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images

The Soweto Derby is a way of life in Johannesburg, with crowds that exceed typical league crowds by several degrees of magnitude.

9. Cascadia Cup: Seattle Sounders vs. Portland Timbers

Don't let anyone tell you Sounders-Timbers isn't one of the great global club rivalries. These two cities live and breathe soccer, have had their clubs' battle span multiple leagues, and the antipathy is real.

8. Fla-Flu: Flamengo vs. Fluminense

The Fla-Flu game in Rio de Janeiro is Brazil's great historical rivalry. No fewer than 194,000 fans attended this game at the Maracanã in 1963.

7. North London Derby: Arsenal vs. Tottenham

The North London Derby has gotten even more intense as Spurs has improved over the years, though Arsenal (for now) still carries its 21-year streak of finishing ahead of Tottenham in the table.

6. North-West Derby: Manchester United vs. Liverpool

The two most successful clubs in England historically (20 championships for Manchester United; 18 for Liverpool) also have one of the most bitter rivalries.

5. Clasico Nacional: Chivas de Guadalajara vs. Club America

Mexico's two most popular teams have a rivalry that pits Guadalajara against Mexico City and a team of players with only Mexican heritage (Chivas) against a team known for buying non-Mexican stars (América).

4. Derby della Capitale: Roma vs. Lazio

The Derby della Capitale is the most intense city rivalry in Italy, a fight for bragging rights in the Eternal City.

3. Superclasico: Boca Juniors vs. River Plate

The two Argentine giants of Buenos Aires may have the world's most passionate fanbases. I went to the SuperClásico in '95 and stood with the Boca hardcores. When Boca scored, a sea of humanity carried me three rows below.

2. Old Firm: Celtic vs. Rangers

The divide between Catholics (Celtic) and Protestants (Rangers) through sports in Glasgow. I once wore all-black to this game in '99 and got yelled at for not picking a side.

1. El Clasico: Barcelona vs. Real Madrid

The two best teams in Spain also have a long history as sporting proxies of Castilian Spain and Catalonia. Given the enmity in El Clásico, it's a wonder that the Spanish national team hasn't been more dysfunctional.

Here' a look at some other games in the Premier League this weekend:

CHELSEA'S CHALLENGE

It has been 12 games since Chelsea kept a clean sheet, a spell that has seen a comfortable 10-point lead at the summit slashed to four.

Even though Chelsea overcame Southampton 4-2 on Tuesday, its defense was breached by Oriol Romeu and Ryan Bertrand–both former Stamford Bridge players.

Not the time to be facing another old boy at Everton on Sunday, particularly one as prolific as Romelu Lukaku. With 24 goals–four more than Tottenham striker Harry Kane–Lukaku is the league top scorer despite his Everton side being in seventh place.

There's even considerable transfer chatter about the 6-foot-3 forward returning to Chelsea, which he left in 2014 after failing to secure a regular place in the team.

RELEGATION FIGHT

Sunderland is clinging onto its Premier League status going into Saturday's game against Bournemouth.

The team is 12 points adrift with five games remaining.

Middlesbrough beat its northeast rival on Wednesday and is six points better off but on Sunday it hosts a Manchester City side trying to lock down a top-four finish.

Swansea's collapse in recent weeks has sent the south Wales side back into the bottom three. It travels to Manchester United on Sunday two points from safety.

Published Apr 27, 2017

ASSOCIATED PRESS