Eberechi Eze delivered a commanding performance on Sunday as Arsenal overpowered Tottenham 4-1 in the north London derby at the Emirates Stadium.
The England international scored three times in his first appearance in this fierce rivalry, giving the Premier League leaders another memorable victory over their neighbours.
Arsenal opened the scoring in the 36th minute through Leandro Trossard, whose effort took a slight deflection before beating Guglielmo Vicario.
That goal set the tone for what became a long evening for Spurs, who struggled to cope with the energy and precision of Mikel Arteta’s side.
Eze doubled Arsenal’s advantage five minutes later with a composed finish, then returned after the interval to score again with another well-taken strike that sent the home crowd into celebration.
He completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute, becoming the first player to score a north London derby treble since Alan Sunderland in 1978.
After the match, Eze described the day as unforgettable. “I’m happy to help the team and to win today is special. I prayed for a hat-trick and I got it, so I’m grateful to God,” he said. He added that sharing the moment with his family made it even more meaningful.
Tottenham’s only bright spot was a spectacular long-range shot from Richarlison, who caught David Raya off his line to pull one back in the 55th minute.
The goal briefly lifted the visitors, but their overall display left fans disappointed. The team mustered only three attempts at goal and finished with an expected goals value of 0.07.
Spurs goalkeeper Vicario admitted the performance was unacceptable. “We have to apologise to the people who watch us because they expect a fight and tonight we didn’t,” he said. “As a collective we didn’t fight and that is not negotiable.”
The defeat sends Tottenham down to ninth place, while Arsenal move six points clear at the top of the table.
Their dominance over Spurs continues, and their title charge looks even stronger after a derby display packed with quality, confidence and control.
