Eberechi Eze took centre stage at the Emirates with a stunning hat trick as Arsenal battered Tottenham 4-1, a result that keeps Mikel Arteta’s side six points clear at the top of the Premier League. The midfielder, who’s had a steady start to life in north London, picked the perfect moment to explode into form and tear Spurs to pieces.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring on 36 minutes, but from that point on it was the Eze show. He struck just before half time, again seconds after the restart, and then wrapped up the treble on 76 minutes, the first north London derby hat trick since Alan Sunderland back in 1978. Not bad company to keep.
Richarlison briefly gave Spurs something to talk about with a ridiculous 35 yard lob over David Raya, but in truth it barely changed the mood. Tottenham was second best all over the pitch, sloppy in possession and nowhere near aggressive enough in the duels.
Arteta was glowing afterwards, saying Eze’s display didn’t surprise him at all. “He deserves this day. He can win us a game at any moment,” the Arsenal boss said. “He came back from the international break early because he wanted to train. He was asking questions, wanting to improve. He can score from anywhere. He is exceptional.”
Eze had already snubbed Spurs in the summer to join Arsenal in a £60m move from Crystal Palace, and his performance here felt like a reminder of exactly what Tottenham let slip. Arteta added: “When I called him in the summer, he told me straight he wanted to play for us. You can sense that every day.”
It was Arsenal’s biggest derby win since 2012 and another statement that this title race might just be theirs to lose. With Liverpool unravelling and Man City stuttering again, the Gunners unbeaten in 15 across all competitions, look in full control, even if Arteta refuses to admit it.
“In this league? Confidence doesn’t last long,” he said. “It just means we’re doing things well.”
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank enduring a miserable first taste of the derby, apologised to supporters after another cautious display that left fans questioning his approach. “Hugely disappointing. I can only apologise,” he said. “I take full responsibility. But we needed to be more aggressive, whatever the system. We didn’t win enough duels.”
Arsenal now face Bayern Munich in midweek before a huge trip to Chelsea. Spurs, meanwhile, are left licking their wounds after another painful reminder of just how big the gap has become between the two clubs.
