By David Kent
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This may just have been the undercard for next Sunday's season-defining clash between Arsenal and Tottenham, but there was no shortage of flash points.
The two sides battled it out in the Under 21 Premier League, with Spurs conquering at home 4-2, but the game was conspicuous for the an off-the-ball clash between Tottenham's Dean Parrett and Arsenal's Sead Hajrovic.
The pair were booked for their head-to-head near the end, but it proves to show even at youth team level there is no love lost between these two bitterest of rivals.
Head-to-head: Tottenham's Dean Parrett and Arsenal's Sead Hajrovic clash during the under 21 match
Lukasz Fabianski was the notable name on the team sheet for Arsenal, while Spurs boasted Zeki Fryers, the man who joined from Manchester United, in theirs.
After Arsenal had taken an early lead, Fryers beat Fabianski with a well-placed shot, and this encouraged the home side forward to take the lead and run-in four.
It's a result that, if repeated next weekend at White Hart Lane, would see the Gunners fall even further behind in their push to overtake Spurs for a place in the Champions League draw.
Beaten: Lukasz Fabianski in goal for Arsenal can't stop Spurs Jack Munns from rounding him to score
Slide: A thunderous challenge by Arsenal's Kristoffer Olsson on Spurs Massimo Luongo
All over: Munns (right) scores the fourth for Tottenham rounding off a lively secon 45 minutes
Earlier in the season Arsenal had embarrassed their North London neighbours when they thrashed them 5-2 at the Emirates, with the game remembered by a red card to Emmanuel Adebayor after just 17 minutes.
The former Arsenal striker had scored minutes before, but then wildly jumping into a tackle with Santi Carzola.
It was the fourth red card Spurs had received in fixtures against Arsenal since the Premier League began.
If the Under 21 match between the two tells us anything, it's not that Tottenham have a better youth side than Arsenal, but that next Sunday will be a battle full of emotion, flying challenges and the rivalry that only comes with a North London derby.
Reckless: Emmanuel Adebayor's flying challenge on Santi Cazorla
Same old Arsenal ,bad losers .At least the Manager has stopped making excuses when they lose .,he knows they are on the decline.
- Hotspur 61 , London, United Kingdom, 23/2/2013 18:38
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