Tottenham brace for ‘big four’ barrage after 18-year hell at feet of Man Utd, Chelsea, Arsenal and Liverpool
By Brian Sears 28 October 2010 Tottenham have played their first nine games of this Premier League season without playing any of the ‘big four’ - Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool or Manchester United. That's about to change as they’ll meet all four by the middle of December, starting with the tough test this Saturday of United at Old Trafford. To describe Tottenham’s record at ‘big four’ grounds in the Premier League’s history as “poor” would be to flatter it. In the 18 completed seasons they have never won a single league game at Old Trafford or at Stamford Bridge, and only once been victorious at Arsenal and Anfield; and both those wins were in the first two seasons of the Premier League era. Minor consolation comes from 21 draws in the 72 away games against the B4. Eight other current Premier League clubs have also failed to record a single victory at Old Trafford but Tottenham have failed to do it in the most attempts. The complete list is below. This all means that the last league game Tottenham won at Old Trafford was on 16th December 1989, nearly 21 years ago, when a certain Gary Lineker scored the only goal of the game to lift Spurs to fifth place in the First Division, eight places above United, who went on to finish that season in 13th place. Tottenham would rise to third, helped when they completed the double over United with a 2-1 win at White Hart Lane in the April. Lineker scored again in that match; Paul Gascoigne got the other, back in an era when he was famous for being a mesmerising talent with a ball at his feet, not for fishing rods and arrests. . Failing to win a single Premier League game at Old Trafford Current Prem Clubs (visits) Tottenham (18) Newcastle (17) Sunderland (9) Birmingham (6) West Brom (5) Wigan (5) Stoke (2) Wolves (2) Blackpool (0) Past Prem Clubs (visits) Southampton (13) Leeds (12) Coventry (9) Charlton (8) Sheff Wed (8) Portsmouth (7) Ipswich (5) C Palace (4) QPR (4) Norwich (4) Sheff Utd (3) Bradford (2) Hull (2) Oldham (2) Reading (2) Watford (2) Barnsley (1) Burnley (1) Swindon (1) . More Brian Sears Sportingintelligence home page .
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *
Do you watch Premier League football anywhere outside England? Join our unique research project
* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *