In Focus: The most ill-tempered North London derbies

One of the most fierce rivalries in world football, the North London derby never disappoints.

Whether the bitter foes be fighting for the title, Champions League qualification or just local pride, there is always plenty at stake.

LiveScore take a look at the most ill-tempered clashes between old enemies Tottenham and Arsenal.

Arsenal 1-1 Tottenham (April 22, 2006)

The final North London derby at Highbury proved a feisty affair as a controversial Robbie Keane opener raised the temperature in this clash.

With Emmanuel Eboue lying injured in the centre of the pitch, Spurs countered with Edgar Davids crossing for Keane to tap home after 66 minutes.

Opposing managers Arsene Wenger and Martin Jol squared up on the touchline with the hosts furious that the game was not stopped.

Thierry Henry equalised late on and there was still time before the end for Dutch midfielder Davids to see red for a second yellow for a rash tackle on Cesc Fabregas.

Tottenham 2-2 Arsenal (March 5, 2016)

In a thrilling campaign that saw Leicester shock the football world and win the league, Arsenal halted Spurs’ hopes of hunting down the Foxes in the title race with a hard-earned draw at White Hart Lane.

Aaron Ramsey gave the visitors the lead in the first half before Francis Coquelin was sent off for a needless second booking just after the interval.

The player advantage spurred the home side on and they netted twice in quick succession through Toby Alderweireld and Harry Kane to turn the game on its head.

But Alexis Sanchez found an equaliser with 14 minutes to play.

Wenger was incensed when Eric Dier was not shown a second yellow card by referee Michael Oliver for a shirt pull on Olivier Giroud soon after but the Gunners were able to hold on to ensure spoils were shared.

Arsenal 5-2 Tottenham (November 17, 2012)

Having been beaten 5-2 at the Emirates just nine months prior, Tottenham were eager to avoid further humiliation on their next trip across North London.

In the February encounter earlier that year, Spurs midfielder Scott Parker was sent off late on as tempers boiled over for the visitors, who had seen a 2-0 advantage wiped out by a relentless Gunners attack.

Fast forward to November, and the visitors had once again taken the lead this time through the controversial figure of Emmanuel Adebayor.

The ex-Gunner had returned to the capital after spells at Manchester City and Real Madrid but soon turned from hero to villain for Andre Villas-Boas' side.

A dangerous tackle from the Togolese forward on opposing midfielder Santi Cazorla gave referee Howard Webb no option and he was sent off just eight minutes after breaking the deadlock.

From there on in, the hosts were dominant and sealed a remarkable repeat scoreline to condemn Spurs to a third-straight league loss.

Arsenal 4-2 Tottenham (December 2, 2018)

Unai Emery’s Arsenal put four past Spurs in 2018-19 at the Emirates, coming back from 2-1 down with goals from Alexandre Lacazette, Lucas Torreira and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang.

Jan Vertonghen performed brilliantly across his eight-year spell at Tottenham and received his only red card for the club in this fixture when he received a second yellow in the 85th minute.

Five of the eight yellows dished out by referee Mike Dean were given to the visitors in a clash that saw a total of 32 fouls.

Tottenham 2-1 Arsenal (November 7, 1999)

Arsenal’s visit to White Hart Lane in the 1999-00 season is our pick for the most fierce clash between the arch-rivals.

The visitors finished this encounter with nine men as Freddie Ljungberg received a straight red card in the 53rd minute, while Martin Keown was handed his second yellow in stoppage time.

Ljungberg’s sending off came after he took displeasure in Justin Edinburgh's late slide tackle, pushing the English full-back to the ground and sparking an ugly melee.

In the fallout, visiting midfielder Patrick Vieira was shown yellow — one of 10 issued on the day by referee David Elleray — as emotions spilled over.

George Graham's hosts ultimately won the game 2-1 thanks to goals from Steffen Iversen and Tim Sherwood, but the match is remembered most for the heated off-the-ball action rather than the result itself.