Rafael van der Vaart admits he enjoyed being Tottenham's hero in derbies against Arsenal
Posted Friday, June 24, 2011 by YAHOO Sport
Rafael van der Vaart has reflected on his first experience of the north London derbies between Arsenal and Tottenham.
The midfielder scored three goals, including one in the win at the Emirates, and assisted twice in two games against the Gunners last season after moving to Spurs from Real Madrid for €9 million.
The Dutchman admitted he enjoyed playing in the games, especially the tie at White Hart Lane when Spurs rallied from 3-1 to draw 3-3.
He told the club’s official website: “When I came here everyone talked about the biggest game of the year against Arsenal.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s league or cup, it’s always big and you have to win that one.
“Tottenham hadn’t won at the Emirates and it was great feeling to go there and win in my first derby, and especially to score.
“We played a bad first half, went 2-0 down but in the second half we were a totally different team and that showed a lot of spirit.
“That felt a bit like a victory. It was a great game, an open game and both teams wanted to win.
“Like at the Emirates, we fought to the end and you could see with our fans that it was a fantastic night.”
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