Arsenal midfielder Ebelesi Eze showed what Tottenham were missing out on with a stunning hat-trick in the 4-1 North London derby that further strengthened their bid to top the Premier League title.
Mikel Arteta’s side were too strong for a timid Tottenham side when Leandro Trossard and Eze scored first-half goals at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
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Eze, who joined Arsenal at the end of the season after stopping Tottenham’s progress, scored again in the second half.
Richarlison’s incredible long-range goal narrowed the gap, but it was no consolation as Eze completed a stunning triple to put the Gunners six points clear at the top of the table.
He is the fourth player to score a hat-trick in a North London derby, after Ted Drake, Terry Dyson and Alan Sunderland, the latter most recently scoring in 1978.
Arsenal’s late equalizer ended Arsenal’s 10-game winning streak in a 2-2 draw before the international break.
But Eze’s best performance since his £60 million ($78 million) move from Crystal Palace erased any bitterness as Tottenham found themselves again on the sword at the Emirates.
The Gunners are unbeaten in their last seven North London derbies, losing just once in 33 home games against their rivals across Seven Sisters Road.
Arsenal’s biggest win over Tottenham since 2012 on Wednesday was the perfect start to a crucial period in the Champions League, with Bayern Munich facing second-placed Chelsea next weekend.
Arsenal’s unbeaten run in all competitions now stands at 15 games and they were certainly able to capitalize on Saturday’s 2-1 defeat at Newcastle by Manchester City.
With City in turmoil and champions Liverpool in disarray, Arsenal have a golden opportunity to end their wait for a first English title since 2004.
Tottenham entered the league with the best away record in the Premier League, but a five-game unbeaten run on the road came to a screeching halt, raising new questions about manager Thomas Frank’s negative philosophy.
The injury absence of Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhães has been highlighted as a potential weakness for Tottenham.
However, Tottenham were rarely close enough to Arsenal’s penalty area to test that theory.
Mikel Merino was reintroduced as Arsenal’s makeshift striker in the absence of Victor Goqueres injured, but the Spanish midfielder dropped deep into his familiar area and set up Trossard’s goal in the 36th minute.
Merino stroked a sublime pass past Tottenham’s rearguard, bringing out Trossard, who was played onside by a dozing Kevin Danso.
Trossard intelligently twisted and turned to find space to shoot, deflecting Guglielmo Vicario from 10 yards out.
If Tottenham had their way in the summer Eze would be the move for them, but Arsenal hijacked Palace’s deal and signed the England star at the 11th hour.
Frank joked, “Who is Eze?” When asked about the failed moves this week.
Eze produced the perfect counterattack in the 41st minute, taking Declan Rice’s pass in stride and finishing well past Vicario.
Frank brought on Xavi Simons for Danso at half-time, but the introduction of Tottenham’s signed forward in place of Eze had no impact.
Eze struck again just 35 seconds after half-time, breaking through Tottenham’s solid defense with a predatory finish from just inside the area.
Richarlison silenced the cheering Arsenal fans for a moment when he lobbed David Raya with a sensational shot from 35 yards in the 55th minute.
However, this was Tottenham’s first shot of the game, and in the 76th minute Eze, who broke free from Trossard’s pass, completed a performance worthy of a great player with a powerful shot from 12 yards.
Eze told Sky Sports after the match that he was praying for a hat-trick.
“I’m grateful for this. I’ve worked hard for this. That was my prayer today. Hat trick,” he said.
“The whole family is here, which makes it even more special.”
Tottenham goalkeeper Vicario apologized to Spurs fans, saying the team did not show enough fight.
“We need to fight every day, we need to fight in every duel. We weren’t on our game in that respect,” he told Sky Sports. “We can talk about tactics and build-up, but if we don’t perform as a group…”
“You didn’t show it today.”
