Top Ten - North London goals

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Ahead of Saturday's North London derby, skysports.com takes a look at some great goals from past encounters

There are few games which set the pulse racing quite as frenetically as the North London derby.

Fiercely competitive, but often blessed with a sprinkling of magic, when Arsenal and Tottenham go head-to-head you are best advised to cancel all other engagements.

Both sides have a reputation for playing football the way it is intended and that has often provided fitting entertainment down the years.

This is not all that surprising, though, when you look at the cast list which has appeared in the spectacle throughout the ages.

The likes of Glenn Hoddle, Liam Brady, Ian Wright, Paul Gascoigne, David Ginola, Thierry Henry, Cesc Fabregas and Robbie Keane have all graced the derby stage with grace and poise and provided their fair share of memorable moments along the way.

The capital rivals have also been known to score the odd spectacular goal or two when they meet in the heat of battle and here skysports.com offers up ten of the best.

Emmanuel Adebayor, 2007

Adebayor's exit from Arsenal this summer may have done little to endear him to the Gunners faithful, but during his days in the red and white he did have a knack of finding the target on derby day. Arguably his most impressive strike against Tottenham came in 2007 when he gave a devastating display of what his game is all about. The languid Togolese hit-man established a reputation for possessing power, pace and a keen eye for goal. All three were on display at White Hart Lane when, illuminated by the September sunshine, he lashed an unstoppable volley past the flailing Paul Robinson. Accepting a pass on the edge of the box with his back goal, in one movement he spun his man, flicked the ball up off the turf and drilled it into the back of net, almost removing it from its hinges.

Liam Brady, 1978

Brady has rightly gone down in Arsenal folklore as one of the greatest players to ever represent the club. The cultured Irishman was a magician with the ball at his feet, capable of awe-inspiring moments of genius which left supporters aghast. Once such moment of brilliance arrived in December 1978 as Brady came bearing early Christmas gifts for Gunners followers. His spectacular swerving effort from the edge of the box lifted those in attendance off their seats - or at least it would have done had there been any! Naturally left-footed, there appeared little chance of Brady finding the top corner after stealing possession on the left-hand edge of the box. However, one swift swipe of his boot unleashed an unstoppable drive into the roof of the net. John Motson, commentating on proceedings that day, almost lost it for a moment after witnessing the goal, screaming "Look at that. Oh, look at that."

Cesc Fabregas, 2007

Spanish schemer Fabregas had already established himself an integral cog in the Arsenal midfield machine by 2007, but he was not yet renowned for his goalscoring ability. That all changed in the 2007/08 campaign as he ended the season with a respectable tally of 12. Probably the best of the bunch came at White Hart Lane as he helped Arsene Wenger's side to a comprehensive 3-1 victory over their arch-rivals. The Gunners had fallen behind to a Gareth Bale effort on the day, but levelled through Adebayor. Then, with 10 minutes left on the clock, Fabregas stepped up to the plate to fire them in front. Tottenham allowed him far too much space 35 yards from goal and could only stand and watch as he proceeded to lash a searing shot into the top corner. Game over, although there was still time for Adebayor to add a third.

Dennis Bergkamp, 1996

No medley of great goals would be complete without at least one offering from Bergkamp. The mercurial Dutchman made a habit of defying logic during his days in North London, just ask Leicester City - who were on the receiving end of one of the most breathtaking hat-tricks of all time when they hosted the Gunners in 1997. The Foxes had been given prior warning of what to expect, with Bergkamp's legendary touch and composure demonstrated during a meeting with Tottenham at Highbury a year earlier. Hanging around the back post while Ian Wright led the Spurs defence a merry dance on the opposite side of the field, Bergkamp sprang to life once his strike partner swung over a high cross. He cushioned the ball with the instep of his left foot, leaving his marker for dead, and then fired across a helpless Ian Walker into the bottom corner. Cue kid-at-a-wedding celebration as the non-flying Dutchman arched across the slick turf on his knees with joy etched all over his face.

Thierry Henry, 2002

We appear to have all areas covered here, with Brady, Bergkamp and Henry all making our shortlist. Henry will forever be held in high regard in English football for the manner in which he lifted standards to a previously unfathomable level. He holds the record as Arsenal's all-time leading goalscorer and notched enough spectacular strikes to fill a library full of scrapbooks. It comes as no surprise to hear that he often tormented the Tottenham back four, with one of his most memorable efforts helping to seal bragging rights in a local derby. In November 2002, Henry scored one of the greatest goals ever to grace Highbury as he sprinted three-quarters of the pitch, brushing aside tackles as he went, before calmly slotting into the bottom corner. Few goals epitomise what Henry is all about better than this one and it is an effort which will life long in the memory of Arsenal supporters everywhere.

David Bentley, 2008

It is fair to say that Bentley have failed to live up to expectations at Tottenham following his summer arrival from Blackburn when Harry Redknapp took struggling Spurs to Emirates Stadium at the start of the 2008/09 campaign. All was forgiven, though, as he produced one of the goals of the season behind enemy lines. Few players have the vision or ability to pull off what he managed that day, lofting a 45-yard volley over the head of Manuel Almunia. The Gunners keeper had strayed slightly off his line, but he could not have expected what was about to happen as the ball bobbled around in midfield. Bentley, though, was in the kind of mood which earned him an England call-up not too long ago and his dipping effort had just enough on it to drift over the Spaniards' head and into the back of the net.

Paul Gascoigne, 1991

Not from a league meeting between Arsenal and Tottenham, but one of the most famous goals in the history of such fixtures. Wembley Stadium provided the most fitting of settings for a number of memorable moments in Gascoigne's career, but this was the first. Gazza would go on to sustain a career-threatening injury at the home of English football in the 1991 FA Cup final, but it was in the semi-final of that competition that he made the headlines for all the right reasons. Shaping up for a free-kick some 30-yards from goal, Arsenal keeper David Seaman fancied that he had his angles covered. The only place he would be unable to reach the ball was right in the very top corner of the goal, and that is precisely where Gascoigne proceeded to arrow his effort. Little back lift was put on the ball, and little curl, the strike just fizzed into the stanchion as Seaman flapped at thin air.

Jermain Defoe, 2004

One of the most thrilling North London derbies in recent times unfolded at White Hart Lane in November 2004. Nine goals were scored, by nine different players as football experimented with a basketball-esque approach to attacking. The pick of the bunch that day came from Spurs striker Defoe, although the effort quickly became lost in the midst of frenetic end-to-end action. The hosts were trailing 3-1 at the time, before Defoe handed them a route back into the game. He picked up possession out wide on the left, skipped past a couple of lame challenges and suddenly found himself in the box. One quick glance goalwards was then all the diminutive frontman needed before he curled a sublime floating effort into the far top corner. Unfortunately the goal failed to rouse his team-mates as they contrived to concede another two times at the opposite end.

Jermaine Jenas, 2008

Tottenham suffered no New Year hangover in January 2008 as they hammered their near neighbours in the semi-finals of the Carling Cup. A 1-1 draw in the first leg of the eagerly-anticipated contest gave no indication of the heroics to come from the men in white. But there were goals galore at the Lane in the return meeting as Spurs sprang to a memorable 5-1 win. Setting them on their way that night was Jenas, who broke the deadlock inside three minutes. It was the perfect start for the hosts, and a fine goal in which to send them on their way to Wembley. Some neat one-touch football in the middle park saw the ball Jenas' way, before he put his head down and set off towards goal. With defenders closing on him, he somehow found space to drill an angled drive across goal and in off the post. The home support exploded in delight, a feeling they would get pretty accustomed to that night.

Paul Gascoigne, 1988

Gazza becomes the only man on our list to feature twice as the 'Clown Prince' of English football gave an early indication of the madness to come when he stole the show on derby day in 1988. Spurs would slip to a 3-2 defeat to Arsenal on home soil during the early stages of the 88/89 campaign, but the exploits of Gascoigne that day remain fresh in the minds of Tottenham supporters. The Gunners conceded just 36 times in 38 games that season and none were more bizarre than that notched by Gazza. In winning a challenge on the edge of the box, the mercurial midfielder lost his boot in the process. That failed to halt him his tracks, though, as he lashed an effort goalwards. His first attempt was blocked by John Lukic, but he was still alert enough to collect the rebound, round the keeper, and slot home from a tight angle. By now his sock had almost gone the same way as his boot, only serving to add to the 'genius' of a man who would go on to become a global superstar.

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