Tottenham came close to signing Eberechi Eze in the summer, but he instead produced a brutal exhibition at the Emirates to underline what Spurs missed. Thomas Frank had joked “Who’s Eze?” pre-match; Eze answered emphatically, becoming the first Arsenal player since 1978 to score a north London derby hat-trick as the Gunners thumped Tottenham 4-1.
“It’s special,” Eze told Sky Sports. “It’s what I prayed for. I prayed for my hat-trick and I got it.” Mikel Arteta revealed Eze even cut short a day off before the game, training extra because he wanted to be ready. “When a player has such a talent and his desire is at that level, then these things happen,” Arteta said.
Eze’s influence was evident from the third minute, when he clipped a delightful pass to Declan Rice, who wasted the opening by firing straight at Guglielmo Vicario. Eze did not squander his chances. His first goal saw him create space in a crowded Spurs box—too quick for Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha—before drilling a low finish through bodies. He has the technique to find room in tight areas and the willingness to shoot from any situation.
The second and third finishes were even sharper. He converted Jurrien Timber’s square ball into the corner, then after letting Destiny Udogie go to the ball, he finished Leandro Trossard’s pass into the opposite corner to complete the hat-trick and take the matchball. It capped a masterful individual performance in which he finished with more shots (six) and more touches in the opposition box (seven) than any teammate.
Eze had looked restrained at times since joining from Crystal Palace, but on Sunday he played with a directness that set him apart. “Since the day that he came, he has brought something else to the team, a certain joy, a certain aura that this team needed,” Arteta said. “At any moment he can win us a game and that’s the ability that he has.”
That appetite was apparent even before he joined Arsenal: Arteta recalled Eze phoning him last summer to express his desire to play for the club. With Martin Odegaard still injured, Eze started in the No 10 role and was encouraged to interchange with makeshift striker Mikel Merino—a setup that freed him to get into the box. Thierry Henry noted on Sky Sports that without a traditional No 9, Eze could act as a striker at times, finding space to finish.
Sky Sports pundit Jamie Carragher admitted he had underestimated the signing after seeing Eze’s season highlights, saying the hat-trick changed his view: Eze “looks like he could make the real difference for Arsenal this season and going on to win the title.” Gary Neville added that Arsenal have been building toward a title challenge for years and that the squad now appears capable of winning the Premier League and progressing toward Champions League ambitions. “Eberechi Eze looked Brazilian, it’s beautiful to see that confidence from an English player,” Neville said, praising Arteta for finding the balance between flair and discipline.
The result left Arsenal six points clear at the top, and Eze’s performance — the “aura” Arteta described — provided a timely reminder of the threat he brings and the extra dimension he adds to a side increasingly fancied to lift major honours.