Published: 8 December, 2013
by RICHARD OSLEY

NORTH London rivals Arsenal and Spurs have been drawn against each other in the FA Cup third round.

With the balls being picked out of the hat while the Gunners were on the field against Everton this afternoon (Sunday), the players only learned they would be hosting Tottenham when they came in for the half-time break.

Arsene Wenger (pictured), whose team play Manchester City and Chelsea in the Premier League and Napoli in the Champions League before Christmas, joked: “We didn’t have enough tough matches coming up, so they gave us another one.”

The FA Cup takes on added importance for both clubs this season, as Arsenal have not won a trophy since their FA Cup triumph in 2005, while Spurs have not won major honours since – aside from two League Cup wins – their own FA Cup success in 1991.

In that season, led by Terry Venables, Tottenham famously beat Arsenal at Wembley in the semi-final as Paul Gascoigne and Gary Lineker lit up a 3-1 victory.

Two years later, the old foes met again in a semi-final with Arsenal exacting some measure of revenge with a 1-0 win courtesy of a late Tony Adams header.

Again, never meeting in the final, the two clubs contested a 2001 FA Cup semi-final, this time at Old Trafford, with Arsenal coming from behind to win 2-1.