Outgunned: Arsenal head into North London derby with dismal Big Six record and now Tottenham could cement their dominance

Tottenham’s victory over Chelsea last weekend served as a timely reminder to the red half of north London of the challenge that awaits them when Spurs visit the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Long gone are the days of Tottenham being pushed aside by their neighbours from N5, or any of the Premier League’s top clubs. They now boast a record against the rest of the big six that bears comparison with anyone’s – and, significantly, is much better than Arsenal’s.

Spurs go into their first clash with the Gunners this season full of confidence, having beaten Chelsea 3-1 and also won their other fixture against a big six team, Manchester United, 3-0 at Old Trafford in August. If they needed any further belief, Wednesday’s 1-0 win over Inter Milan, which kept alive their Champions League hopes, provided it.

While Tottenham have found a way to win the big games in recent years, they have not been Arsenal’s forte.

The last time they beat one of the other five top teams in the league was at home to Tottenham just over a year ago – and their record away from home is even worse.

It has been almost four years since their last league win against a big six team on the road – a 2-0 victory at Manchester City in January 2015 which owed much to a Santi Cazorla masterclass.

That result did not herald a new resilience that some thought it might. Last season Arsenal took just six points from a possible 30 against the other top sides, three of which came from that home win over Spurs.

Five wins in 33

But their dismal record dates back further that that. Since the start of the 2015-16 season, Arsenal have picked up just 27 points from 33 league games in big six fixtures. That’s 17 points fewer than the next worse, Chelsea, and 22 points fewer than Tottenham, with little to separate the other sides, City, United and Liverpool.

Tottenham have not only scored seven more goals in those matches but more significantly conceded 21 fewer, highlighting Arsenal’s defensive frailties.

The Gunners have shipped almost two goals per game in those fixtures, which may not come as a surprise given some of the beatings they have taken. Last season alone they lost 3-0 and 3-1 to City and 4-0 to Liverpool.

It has been one of Arsenal’s biggest weaknesses and one of the main reasons that Tottenham have finished above them in the past two seasons after 22 successive years of failing to do so.

Sunday presents a good opportunity for Unai Emery to show the impact he has made since becoming Arsenal manager in the summer.

Early-season defeats to City and Chelsea came too early in the Spaniard’s tenure to draw conclusions about his pedigree in these games. A draw at home to Liverpool earlier this month hinted at possible progress.

Emery has worked on getting his new side to defend collectively and press from the front, and after 11 league games undefeated he seems to have instilled more mental resilience.

Little to separate

It will be required once again when they face Spurs, who have established one of the best defensive records in the league under Pochettino and are attempting to keep pace with leaders City, five points in front.

There has been little to separate the north London rivals so far this season. Tottenham currently lead Arsenal by three points but have lost a game more, while both sides have a goal difference of +12.

City and Liverpool have taken points off each club on their visits to the capital as the unbeaten pair have underlined their dominance this season.

Arsenal and Tottenham look as though they will be in battle with fellow Londoners Chelsea for a top-four spot and the all-important Champions League qualification places.

For Emery and his team, this weekend’s clash is the first of two big tests. They visit United just four days later, the second part of a big six double-header in which they will be expected to show improvement.

Tottenham, however, have momentum, a track record in these games and the carrot of cementing their dominance in their corner of the city.