During the first five years of the new millennium, the battle for supremacy in North London was a non-contest as Arsenal frequently secured qualification for the Champions League and Tottenham Hotspur remained scrapping for a respectable position in mid-table. However, during the 2005-06 campaign, Spurs mounted a revival under the guidance of Martin Jol and ahead of the final day of the season they held a narrow advantage over their rivals in the race for fourth place.
At the start of March, Spurs had opened up a five-point lead over Arsenal, but over the following 10 fixtures, the Gunners closed the gap to just one after recording seven wins and two draws. Chelsea, Manchester United and Liverpool had already earned their Champions League berths for the following campaign which left Arsenal and Spurs playing for the fourth and final place on this day in 2006.
The day also marked Arsenal's final match at Highbury ahead of their move to the Emirates Stadium and participation among Europe's elite was demanded by the club's hierarchy. Spurs were left with the short journey across the capital to face West Ham United at Upton Park, but their preparation was hit after a number of players suffered suspected food poisoning ahead of the game. The club asked if kickoff could be delayed but with only a two-hour delay possible, the decision was made to start the match at the scheduled time.
Due to a superior goal difference, Arsenal were aware that they could afford to draw if Spurs slipped up at West Ham, but Arsene Wenger's men quickly set about attacking opponents Wigan Athletic and it brought them the opening goal after eight minutes. Robert Pires had seen his initial shot kept out by Mike Pollitt, but the Frenchman was well placed to convert the rebound to put the pressure on Spurs.
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Two minutes later, Spurs were dealt a further setback when they fell behind at Upton Park. Moments after Yossi Benayoun had gone close, Carl Fletcher stunned the visitors with a 30-yard strike that beat Paul Robinson for his first goal in the top flight, but within seconds, Spurs were handed a lifeline by Wigan.
The reaction from Arsenal's supporters informed their team of Fletcher's goal in East London, but it only resulted in a lapse in concentration in the defence. David Thompson whipped a free kick towards the back post and Paul Scharner was on hand to poke past Jens Lehmann. Arsenal remained ahead in the table on goal difference but Wigan's equaliser had left Spurs within a goal of moving back in front.
The scores remained the same until the 33rd minute when Thompson went from provider to goalscorer to complete an impressive turnaround at Highbury. His delivery from a set piece from 40 yards may have been intended for a teammate but the ball flew over Lehmann and into the net. The effort sparked jubilation among the Spurs contingent at Upton Park and that only heightened when Jermain Defoe netted an equaliser to give his side a two-point lead with 55 minutes remaining.
However, the deficit was soon halved as Thierry Henry got himself on the scoresheet. Pires picked up the ball in the Wigan half before sliding it through to the advancing Henry, who made no mistake with an assured finish past Pollitt. As the half-time whistle went in each game, Spurs held on to their advantage, but soon after the restart, that was in danger of disappearing when West Ham won a penalty.
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Teemu Tainio had brought down Bobby Zamora inside the area but Teddy Sheringham, who had previously spent seven years at White Hart Lane, didn't get enough power behind his spot kick and Robinson was able to make the save. Spurs' joy was short-lived though, as Henry capitalised on a mistake in the Wigan defence to round Pollitt and give Arsenal the advantage heading into the remaining half-hour.
Sensing that Arsenal wouldn't squander a one-goal lead for the second time in the afternoon, Spurs placed more emphasis on attack, with Robbie Keane missing out twice before Tainio dragged a shot wide. Back in North London, Arsenal netted a fourth from the penalty spot as Henry completed a fairytale hat-trick to all but confirm three points, leaving Spurs with 14 minutes to find the winning goal that they required to hold on to fourth place.
However, with 10 minutes left, their task was made harder when a Nigel Reo-Coker flick found Benayoun, who saw off the attentions of Michael Dawson before finding the top corner. The goal proved to be a hammer blow to Spurs and with their bout of food positioning contributing to tired legs, they couldn't muster a late fightback and that gave everyone associated with Arsenal the chance to enjoy the remaining minutes at Highbury.
The finale also included Dennis Bergkamp's final game in an Arsenal shirt after the legendary Dutchman played out the closing stages to cap off 11 years at the club. Arsenal would end the campaign losing to Barcelona in the Champions League final but they had the consolation of knowing that they had done enough to participate in the tournament for a seventh successive season.
Darren Plant
