Before the FA Cup Fifth Round draw was even made,
English football was once again ablaze with discussion!
As the only undefeated team across Europe's top five leagues,
every move Arsenal made was under the spotlight.
And Kai's unstoppable form across all competitions
had become the single biggest talking point in European football.
24 Premier League matches, 55 goals, 62 assists!
Numbers so absurd they had already broken the boundaries of imagination.
A player who shattered all conventional understanding of the game!
On the scoring charts, the assists charts, and in the Champions League rankings,
Kai was crushing the once-untouchable duo of Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo,
maintaining a ridiculous gulf at the top!
Meanwhile, with the other leagues resuming after their winter breaks,
fixtures across Europe were kicking into full swing.
February's schedule was now entering its latter half.
Since the second half of the Premier League began,
the league landscape had shifted subtly.
First, at Chelsea—
the Blues had been languishing in 7th place, not even in the European spots,
and after sacking Villas-Boas,
new manager Roberto Di Matteo had taken charge.
The mood in the dressing room had clearly improved compared to the first half of the season.
In the league, Chelsea climbed back above Everton,
returning to the Premier League's top six.
As for the rest of the Big Six:
At Tottenham, astonishingly, Pochettino still hadn't been sacked.
Even after suffering another ruthless thrashing by Kai's Arsenal
in the season's second North London Derby—also the League Cup quarterfinal—
Spurs had failed to find a better coach in the winter window.
Pochettino had clung onto his job by a thread.
The top three in the league remained unchanged:
Arsenal, Manchester United, Manchester City.
With Liverpool, Spurs, and Chelsea following in 4th, 5th, and 6th.
What truly shocked media and fans, though,
was Arsenal's points tally after 24 rounds.
With a perfect record—24 wins, 72 points,
the Gunners sat unchallenged at the top of the table!
When journalists saw the numbers, they were stunned.
"Only 24 games… and already 72 points?!"
What did that even mean?
Last season's champions, Manchester United,
had only finished the campaign with 80 points total!
Immediately, wild speculation erupted.
The all-time Premier League single-season points record
belonged to Chelsea in 2005–06, with 95 points.
No team in history had ever broken the 100-point barrier.
But with 14 league matches still remaining,
and Arsenal's unstoppable momentum,
suddenly the idea of hitting a century of points
looked not only possible—
but likely!
If Arsenal really achieved it,
it would be a milestone of epoch-making significance!
While debates raged endlessly outside,
Arsenal pushed forward with their schedule.
Up next was one of the month's headline clashes—
the FA Cup Fifth Round!
Having already reached the League Cup final,
Arsenal were determined to go all-in for the FA Cup as well.
Years of painful trophy droughts meant that this Arsenal side, without a doubt,
would chase any piece of silverware with unrelenting hunger!
Soon, the draw was made—
and English football was rocked to its core!
Arsenal's opponent in the FA Cup Fifth Round…
was once again Tottenham Hotspur!
The third North London Derby of the season!
Journalists traded incredulous looks,
their eyes alight with excitement.
The North London Derby was back again!
Once in the League Cup,
now again in the FA Cup!
Was this fate?
Or unfinished business between eternal rivals?
Earlier this season, in the league and League Cup quarterfinal,
Arsenal had obliterated Spurs 6–0 and 7–0—
the first equalling the biggest margin in North London Derby history,
the second breaking the all-time record!
This season, Spurs had been utterly humiliated,
chased out of North London in disgrace.
All around the streets of North London,
Spurs fans had all but vanished from sight.
Now, with the FA Cup draw confirmed,
the whole of North London stirred restlessly!
Arsenal fans were ecstatic.
This draw was perfect for them!
No matter how many times they faced Spurs in a season,
it was never too many.
After all—
this was their eternal enemy of a hundred years!
To Arsenal fans, no number of thrashings against Spurs was ever enough.
If they had their way, they'd uproot Tottenham Hotspur from North London entirely, erasing them once and for all!
"Fuck! Kill Spurs!"
"Kick this trash out of North London!"
"We want the three-peat! And when we face them again in the league, we'll make it four wins in one season!"
"Destroy Spurs! There's only one team in North London—Arsenal!"
The whole of North London erupted in feverish anticipation.
But where there was joy, there was also despair.
When Spurs fans saw the draw, their heads were spinning.
What the hell was this?
Was the draw rigged?
Did fate just single them out for slaughter?
After a turbulent winter transfer window, Mauricio Pochettino had somehow held onto his job.
But Spurs had failed to bring in any major reinforcements.
The only silver lining was that Real Madrid, who had been scouting the team, were not yet satisfied with Gareth Bale and Luka Modrić's current levels, deciding to wait and monitor further.
For now, Spurs' two biggest stars were still with the club.
But upon learning they would once again face Arsenal in the FA Cup Fifth Round, the Spurs coaching staff imploded.
Pochettino slumped in his chair, eyes vacant.
This couldn't be real.
He had barely survived the winter without getting sacked,
and now the FA Cup had served up Arsenal again?
Was this the footballing gods accelerating his death sentence?
Pochettino knew the truth.
If his Spurs were destroyed a third time in the same season by Arsenal,
his position—no matter how lucky he had been until now—would become untenable.
"Our squad has taken serious hits since that League Cup quarterfinal," one assistant said grimly.
"Son's ACL was torn after Bale's reckless challenge—season over.
Kyle Walker has been struggling with a groin injury this week, doubtful for the match.
This FA Cup tie looks like a disaster waiting to happen…"
The Spurs coaching room was in chaos.
Pochettino's mind was completely blank.
Another North London Derby.
The third of the season.
And with another league fixture still to come in the second half of the season,
fans were guaranteed at least four North London Derbies this year.
Pochettino's mood plummeted.
It wasn't that Spurs were a weak side.
Though their trophy cabinet was embarrassingly bare,
they had consistently remained in the Premier League's top six despite the fierce competition.
Against any other team, Pochettino never lacked confidence.
With stars like Bale and Modrić—players good enough to attract Real Madrid's attention—
Spurs had a squad with genuine competitiveness.
But all of that came with one condition:
as long as they didn't face Arsenal.
Against this Arsenal,
against an Arsenal with Kai,
Pochettino was helpless.
There was simply no method to stop Kai's unstoppable brilliance.
This Arsenal side was already ferocious and ruthless by nature.
Against Spurs, they never held back an inch.
This season's two derbies had already ended in absurd scorelines—
each one worse than the last.
And now, the pressure was even heavier.
Spurs had won the coin toss for venue,
meaning the FA Cup Fifth Round—this season's third North London Derby—
would be held at White Hart Lane, Spurs' home ground.
The draw had sentenced Spurs to face their eternal rivals,
in front of their own fans.
"There's no way out," Pochettino muttered.
"All we can do is throw everything we have into defending our home.
Winning or losing isn't the key this time.
The most important thing is this—
we cannot let Arsenal humiliate us in a third straight North London Derby!"
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