The Frenchman’s future at the Emirates Stadium is unclear beyond the end of the season, and here Press Association Sport looks at his record in the fixture in all competitions since he took over as manager in October 1996.
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OVERALL RECORD
Wenger has an impressive record against Spurs. In the 49 meetings so far he has won 22, drawn 20 and lost just seven. He has also never finished below Tottenham in the league, although that looks poised to change this term with the Gunners currently 14 points behind Mauricio Pochettino’s men.
FIRST DERBY
His career in the fixture got off to the perfect start as late goals from Tony Adams and Dennis Bergkamp steered them to a 3-1 win on November 24, 1996.
FIRST DERBY DEFEAT
Wenger was unbeaten in his first six derbies before the record finally ended on November 7, 1999. Two goals inside the first 20 minutes from Steffen Iversen and Tim Sherwood put Tottenham on the way to victory. Patrick Vieira pulled one back for Arsenal but they finished the match with nine men after Freddie Ljungberg and Martin Keown were sent off in the second half.
10th DERBY
He celebrated his 10th derby with a 2-0 triumph secured by goals from Robert Pires and Thierry Henry inside the last 20 minutes.
FIRST KNOCKOUT ENCOUNTER
Arsenal met Spurs in an FA Cup semi-final at Old Trafford on April 8, 2001. Spurs took the lead through Gary Doherty in the 14th minute but Arsenal recovered with goals from Vieira and Pires to book a place in the final, where they lost to Liverpool in Cardiff.
20th DERBY
Pires rescued a point for the Gunners with a 77th-minute goal in a 1-1 draw at White Hart Lane on October 29, 2005.
LONGEST UNBEATEN STREAK
Wenger presided over a 21-match unbeaten run in the fixture which spanned almost eight years – from March 2000 to January 2008. It ended in dramatic fashion as Spurs won a League Cup second-leg encounter 5-1 at White Hart Lane on January 22, en route to winning the competition in that season. That result remains the heaviest of his seven defeats in the fixture. He is currently unbeaten in his last four matches against Tottenham, with the most recent loss coming on February 7, 2015.
30th DERBY
The first meeting after that 5-1 hammering was his 30th in charge, and it was a cracker as two goals in the final two minutes earned Tottenham a 4-4 draw at the Emirates Stadium on October 29, 2008.
BIGGEST WINS
Wenger’s teams have beaten Spurs by a three-goal margin on six occasions – with three 3-0 wins, two 5-2 wins back to back in February and November 2012, and a 4-1 League Cup victory in September 2010.
40th DERBY
Two goals in two minutes just before half-time from Gareth Bale and Aaron Lennon put Tottenham on the way to a 2-1 win on March 3, 2013.
BIGGEST WINNING STREAK
Wenger’s best winning run in the fixture is three matches. They beat Tottenham 1-0 on September 1, 2013, 2-0 in the FA Cup in January 2014 and 1-0 again in the league in March 2014 in response to that 2-1 defeat in his 40th derby.
1-1
There have been 11 1-1 draws in the 49 meetings to date.
BOUNCING BACK
Wenger has never lost successive derby matches.
Wenger came in 1996
— Arsenal FC (@FFArsenal) April 29, 2017
Finished above Spurs 21 years
Won 3 league titles: 1 at WHL
Won 6 FA Cups
Spurs in 20 years won 0 trophies
From Press Association
