In most multi-club cities, somebody ends up playing second banana, whether the metric is success, fan base or hype. Tottenham Hotspur's backers may not like to admit it, but over the years it has grown into that role, perennially outgunned and overshadowed by its fellow North London club, Arsenal.

So how fraught was Saturday's big North London derby at Emirates Stadium for Spurs fans? Decades of bad juju meant fearing the worst was the default setting.

Tottenham's...