Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham: Just months after turning down a move to Spurs, Eberechi Eze scores a stunning hat-trick for the Gunners as they win the North London derby.
Ebelesi Eze scored a stunning hat-trick as Arsenal re-established a six-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a comfortable win in the north London derby against Tottenham. The Gunners continued their recent dominance over Spurs in the most painful way imaginable.
Mikel Arteta’s side have won four in a row against Tottenham, but Eze, whose £67.5m move to Arsenal was rejected by Spurs in the summer, has scored six goals in his last four games against Tottenham.
Arsenal almost took the lead three minutes later when Declan Rice volleyed straight at Guglielmo Vicario from a scooped pass from Eze. Bukayo Saka tested Vicario with a curling free-kick before the Gunners took the lead.
Mikel Merino played a wonderfully clipped ball over the top of Leandro Trossard, who benefited from a deflection from Micky van der Ven and spun into the bottom corner. Five minutes later, Eze showed great composure as he evaded a tackle and fired a shot past Vicario to make it 2-0.
Things got even worse for Spurs immediately after the break when Eze scored a fine finish with his left foot into the bottom corner for 3-0. After Declan Rice was denied a goal by Joao Parinha, Richarlison pulled a goal back out of nowhere when he played the ball to David Raya from distance.
But it proved a false dawn. Trossard found Eze on the edge of the box and confidently curled into the corner. The playmaker could have had a fourth chance, but Vicario rejected it. Here are the talking points from the one-sided incident at Emirates Stadium.
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1. Trossard haunts Spurs
Trossard continued to have to justify himself in an Arsenal shirt. The Belgian has flourished as a utility player under Arteta, often being used off the bench as an impact player, but also used in big matches because he is trusted to carry out instructions. He’s not the most flashy, but he often springs into action when it matters.
This season, Trossard came off the bench and made a difference in the game against Athletic Club, scoring one goal and providing one assist. He scored the winning goal against Fulham. And now he has another goal against Spurs on his CV – scoring the winner in January’s 2-1 win over Arsenal’s rivals.
He’s not the quickest, but his instincts around the box, timing of his runs and finishing ability all showed, as he tipped Merino’s pass to make it 1-0. With Noni Maduke injured and Gabriel Martinelli also back on the bench after a contusion, it may be difficult to replace Trossard from Arteta’s first-choice eleven.
2. Eze is inevitable
This was the stage set for Eze. We all know the story: the England star had been on the receiving end of offers from Tottenham all summer, but ended up joining Arsenal for £67.5 million. Thomas Frank joked in the pre-match press conference, “Who is Eze?” when asked about him. He added: “He’s a very good player. He plays for Arsenal, a team we want to beat on Sunday.”
Before kick-off, Les Ferdinand, who knows Eze from his time at QPR, said it felt like he was playing with “the handbrake on”. His hat trick proved otherwise. He showed great composure in all three goals, darting around Rodrigo Bentancur before slotting a shot past Vicario to make it 2-0.
His next two finishes were dispatched as well. Spurs must be tired of seeing him. He currently has six goals and one assist against Spurs in the Premier League, more than against any other club.
3. Frank gets it wrong.
Frank insisted he was not going to the Emirates just to play for a 0-0 draw. He said his team wanted to win. There were no signs of that ambition as Arsenal were completely untested at the back of the table.
The Spurs entered halftime without making a single shot. They made 90 passes to Arsenal’s 233, but apart from the odd long throw from Kevin Danso, who had changed formation to a back three and joined the starting XI, there was no clear game plan.
Frank clearly admitted his mistake at half-time by removing centre-back Xavi Simmons, a player he signed after missing Morgan Gibbs-White and Eze in the summer, but it was too late. It was the first loss in the away league under coach Frank, and he is responsible for this result.
4. Richarlison out of nowhere
It would be no exaggeration to say that Tottenham’s goal was unexpected. Arsenal continued to advance with a 3-0 lead. Their fans were delighted with their complete and utter dominance. And Tottenham had their first shot of the entire match. The xG was 0.02 and it ran perfectly.
Parinha deserves a lot of credit for pressing high and taking Rice with a sliding tackle. But the confidence and audacity to even consider shooting was something else for Richarlison. It was amazing how Raya perfectly nailed the top corner as she retreated.
5. Arsenal are completely dominant
North London is red hot right now.
Arsenal did twice as well as Spurs in the league last season, winning 2-1 at home and 1-0 away. They have now won four straight derby games and six of their last seven Premier League games. The Gunners have an excellent home record in North London derbies, losing just once in their last 33 league games, with Spurs’ last win dating back to November 2010.
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