Conte on north London derby win: ‘It gave us the possibility to believe’

Antonio Conte believes our 3-0 victory over Arsenal back in May proved a catalyst for our return to the Champions League.

Discussing all the key moments and matches from the 2021/22 campaign at length in Antonio Conte: 202 Days – the original documentary which launched on our brand-new home for live and on-demand video, SPURSPLAY, on Tuesday (5 July) –  Antonio highlighted our comprehensive triumph over the Gunners at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium as a 'fantastic moment' in his first season in N17.

In what was his first taste of a north London derby, the clash with our N5 rivals was perhaps one of the most important meetings between the sides in the last decade. With a return to the Champions League on the cards for both sides, we headed into the game knowing that only a victory would do if we were to keep our hopes of a return to European football's elite club competition alive.

However, from minute one against Arsenal, we were at our scintillating best. Harry Kane twice fired home in the first half (22 and 37 minutes) - either side of Rob Holding's dismissal - to give us a commanding lead at the break before Heung-Min Son hit the target two minutes after the restart on a night that will live long in the memory of Spurs fans.

What a night 🥰

Streaming now on #SPURSPLAY ⤵️

— Tottenham Hotspur (@SpursOfficial) July 6, 2022

Yet, it was not the performance or the result which left the biggest impression on Antonio that evening. It was the backing of our supporters which stirred the Italian in May as they ramped up the atmosphere in our north London home, creating a cauldron of noise to help the players get the job done.

“I can’t (begin to) imagine the atmosphere now,” Antonio smiled as he recounted the cacophony of noise inside Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. “Our fans are very important. I can only give thanks to our fans because in every game they always supported us from the start until the end.

“It was incredible. The win against Arsenal was a fantastic moment for us. We reduced the gap to one point instead of four and that gave us the possibility to believe, to believe we could get that place in the Champions League.”

You can watch Antonio Conte: 202 Days exclusively on SPURSPLAY now.