The Christmas period of 1978 brought an unexpected gift for Arsenal.
It came two days early but it set the tone for the festive season perfectly: Tottenham 0 Arsenal 5.
It was an unforgettable outcome on an afternoon the Gunners produced arguably their greatest performance during manager Terry Neill's seven years at the helm.
Spurs had returned to the top flight that season after a year in Division Two. Furthermore they had bolstered their ranks with the signings of Argentine World Cup winners Ossie Ardiles and Ricky Villa. But it was Arsenal, and in particular Liam Brady, who bossed the midfield as the Gunners dished out a yuletide feast for White Hart Lane's away contingent.
As far as Spurs supporters were concerned Alan Sunderland was the pantomime villain, feeding off Brady to net a superb hat-trick. Frank Stapleton also reaped the rewards of Brady's brilliance while the Irishman produced a piece of individual magic to beat the Spurs keeper with an outrageous curling shot from the edge of the box. Five goals on the road in a North London derby.
Brady's spectacular effort was the most memorable and continues to be revered by Gunners fans today. "Look at that. Oh, look at that," commentator John Motson bellowed as the watching television cameras captured the backlift of Brady's foot, the arc of the ball, and the Irishman's celebration in front of the stunned Spurs faithful (see below).
Neill's side went on to finish seventh, four places above Tottenham that season. The result remains Arsenal's biggest post-war triumph at White Hart Lane.
Copyright 2024 The Arsenal Football Club Limited. Permission to use quotations from this article is granted subject to appropriate credit being given to www.arsenal.com as the source.