Arsenal star Ebelesi Eze brutally dismissed questions about his snub at Tottenham after scoring a historic hat-trick against Spurs on Sunday. The 27-year-old became the first player in almost 50 years to score three goals in a north London derby. His first-half goal and brace after the interval added to the dire situation for the Gunners’ rivals, just months after Spurs’ failed attempt to sign him from Crystal Palace.
Leandro Trossard broke the early deadlock and slotted home after a great pass from Mikel Merino forced the Spurs defense to catch up. With just four minutes remaining in the first half, Mikel Arteta’s side capitalized on their early advantage with Eze opening the scoring for Arsenal’s second goal. Eze then scored two more points on either side with a 45-yard strike from Spurs forward Richarlison.
But the Arsenal hero, who fulfilled his childhood ambition on Sunday, refused to talk about the drama of the summer transfer window that saw him reject Spurs as a top-flight side in the Premier League, saying: “Let’s not talk about it.”
Eyeing the match, Eze added: “It was a good day, it was a fun day. I’m happy to be able to help the team. It’s special, you know.”
“Special person, I thank you again. I prayed for it, I prayed for a hat trick, I thank the person. That was the prayer today and God heard it.”
Arsenal snapped up Eze ahead of north London rivals Tottenham in August in a £60m deal, with the England international admitting his childhood loyalty made the decision easier.
The midfielder previously told The Athletic, “I was ready to go to Tottenham, but from the moment Arsenal came it was always them I would go to.
“My first (senior) game against Arsenal was special, it was something I had dreamed of for so long that it almost seemed unreal.
“I played for Arsenal from the age of eight to 13 and it was always in the back of my mind that I wanted to go back. It felt like a dream come true.”
The win proved to be more important to Arsenal than just defeating their local opponents, with the Gunners taking full advantage of their title rivals faltering elsewhere.
Liverpool suffered a further setback in defending their title after losing to Nottingham Forest on Saturday, while Newcastle thwarted Manchester City’s ambitions with a 2-1 win at St James’s Park.
Ez’s hat-trick and Trossard’s opening goal extended Arsenal’s advantage in the Premier League summit to six points heading into a tough festive schedule.
The Gunners face second-placed Chelsea at Stamford Bridge next weekend, immediately after facing Bayern Munich in the Champions League in the middle of next week.
