Eberechi Eze scored a sensational hat-trick as Arsenal moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League with a 4-1 victory over north London rivals Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium.
Leandro Trossard opened the scoring after Mikel Merino’s pass picked him out, and Eze added the second following smart footwork to slot into the bottom corner. Thomas Frank switched Spurs to a back four at half-time, bringing on Xavi Simons, but Eze struck again just 35 seconds after the restart with another composed finish. Richarlison briefly threatened a Spurs comeback with an audacious 35-yard lob over David Raya, but Eze’s third — a sublime curling effort beyond Guglielmo Vicario — sealed the win.
Eze, who had been linked with Spurs before moving to Arsenal in August, produced a masterful first north London derby, becoming only the fourth Arsenal player to score a treble against Tottenham and helping the Gunners to a fourth consecutive win in the fixture.
The result came as Manchester City and Liverpool both lost earlier in the weekend, allowing Arsenal to open a six-point gap on second-placed Chelsea. Arsenal now head to Stamford Bridge next Sunday. For Spurs, the defeat ended their unbeaten run in away Premier League games under Frank and left them ninth, with only three shots and an expected-goals (xG) of 0.07 — the lowest by any side in a Premier League match this season.
Player ratings
Arsenal: Raya (6), Timber (8), Saliba (8), Hincapie (8), Calafiori (7), Zubimendi (7), Rice (8), Eze (9), Saka (8), Trossard (8), Merino (8). Subs: Madueke (6), Nwaneri (n/a), Mosquera (n/a), Lewis-Skelly (n/a).
Spurs: Vicario (6), Danso (4), Romero (5), Van de Ven (5), Spence (5), Palhinha (5), Bentancur (4), Udogie (5), Kudus (5), Richarlison (6), Odobert (4). Subs: Simons (5), Kolo Muani (5), Sarr (5), Johnson (6), Porro (6).
Player of the Match: Eberechi Eze
Mikel Arteta to Sky Sports: “I enjoyed every minute of it — the preparation, the energy, the hunger to play the game, the enthusiasm, the joy. When you play in the manner we played and win with the goals we scored against our rivals, it’s a special day. We were really strong, really intense and had to be patient. In the second half we maintained consistency — overall it was a great performance.”
Eberechi Eze to Sky Sports: “That was a good one. Enjoyable day. Happy to help the team and get the win. It’s special. It’s what I prayed for. I prayed for my hat-trick and I got it. All my family are here which makes it more special.” On potentially having been a Tottenham player: “Let’s not talk about that.”
Tottenham boss Thomas Frank to Sky Sports: “It’s extremely painful. It was a bad performance and completely opposite to what the intention was before we came here. We can only apologise to the fans. They were stronger in the duels and we couldn’t get out. On the day, a bad performance.”
The result cements Arsenal’s momentum at the top of the table while leaving Spurs with questions over their attacking threat as they look to respond in the coming fixtures.