St. Totteringham’s Day Came Early | OneFootball

March 1 contained something extra special for Gooner fans around the world. Yes, Arsenal held on to defeat 10-man Chelsea, retaining their five point margin over second-place Manchester City. But the win ALSO made it mathematically impossible for hated rivals Tottenham Hotspur to earn more points than them.

It’s known as St. Totteringham’s Day. For Arsenal fans it’s the second best thing to happen for them since their commanding 4-1 win in last week’s North London Derby.

Origin of St. Totteringham’s Day

Most folks know the deep-seated the rivalry between Arsenal and Tottenham. This “holiday” is yet another manifestation of that.

St. Totteringham’s Day was named in the early 2000s on Arsenal fan forums and websites. Some credit a fan named Julian Shulman with the inspiration, which is a portmanteau of “tottering” and “Tottenham.” Regardless of origin, it has become a social media event replete with memes, posts and the like. While no specific chants or banners were present in today’s match, in the past (particularly in the North London derby where applicable) they have been common.

It’s a particularly one-sided view, but then again Arsenal have been fairly one-sided in the table for decades. Arsenal finished higher than Tottenham for 21 consecutive seasons between 1995 and 2016. There was a brief period of reversal from 2017-2022 when Spurs finished on top. This launched a tepid attempt by Tottenham fans to make “Lasagne Day” trend, but it never quite had the same ring. The “lasagne” refers to a 2006 food poisoning incident which struck the Arsenal team the night before a critical match, which they lost and were knocked out of a top-four finish.

All this is extremely childish, and yet awesome. It showcases the intensity between the north London clubs without descending into overt negativity.

A New Record

Today marked the earliest date ever for St. Totteringham’s Day, breaking the previous one which occurred on March 9, 2008. Given that Spurs have yet to win a Premier League match in 2026, the only team to do so, this outcome is not unexpected.

In fact, if Tottenham continue on this extraordinary slide Arsenal fans may get treated to a second holiday: Spurs Relegation Day.