A recent history of Tottenham Hotspur on the last day of the season
By Aaron Coe
Tottenham Hotspur needs one point to finish above their arch-rivals and secure Champions League football for next season; recent history says Spurs are taking that point.
Over the last five campaigns, Tottenham Hotspur has come to play on the season’s final day. Spurs have won three and drawn two in those five games, scoring 19 goals but conceding 10. If that tells us anything, we should be in for some fireworks on Sunday as Norwich hosts Spurs at Carrow Road.
Good news and bad news for Tottenham on the final day
The good news is that Tottenham has had something of meaning to play for over the last several seasons, and in each instance, they were able to earn what was needed. The bad news is that the last time Spurs fell short on the final day, it was against an already relegated side, leaving Tottenham a point behind Arsenal in the final standings.
While that horrible 5-1 showing against Newcastle should still haunt some players on the current team, that also marked the last time the Lilywhites finished behind Arsenal in the standings, which is not something any Spurs fan wants to feel again anytime soon.
Since that Newcastle defeat, Spurs have been a different side on the last day of the season, with Hull City feeling Spurs’ wrath the following season in a 1-7 Tottenham win. That win back in 2017 marked the last time Tottenham faced a relegated team on the last day, as Spurs finished second behind Chelsea that year.
In the four matches since that thrashing of Hull, Spurs have twice beaten Leicester City in two barnburners – 2-4 and 5-4 – and drew with Palace (1-1) and Everton (2-2).
Besides the Newcastle match, it would be 2018/19, where there are the most parallels to the current situation. That year, Spurs’ draw with Everton left them in fourth place, a point behind Chelsea and a point ahead of Arsenal. It is that ending, with Spurs above the Gunners in fourth, that we are looking for; let’s hope history can repeat itself in this instance.