Sunday, January 16, 2022 is a date Antonio Conte and Tottenham will remember for all the wrong reasons. Set to host Arsenal in the first North London Derby in front of a capacity crowd at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the showdown in N17 was postponed after the Premier League accepted a request from the Gunners.
Official confirmation from the Premier League finally came around 24 hours before the game was due to commence, with a statement outlining that Mikel Arteta's men had fewer than the required number of players available for the match (13 outfield players and one goalkeeper). Their low numbers were down to a result of a combination of Covid-19, existing and recent injuries and players on international duty at the Africa Cup of Nations.
It was a major talking point at the time and undoubtedly one of the biggest of the 2021/22 Premier League season.
