Eberechi Eze delivered a sensational hat-trick as Arsenal crushed Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in a one-sided north London derby at the Emirates on Sunday.
The Gunners were without several key players, including Gabriel, Odegaard and Kai Havertz, but still controlled the match from start to finish, leaving Thomas Frank’s Spurs with few answers on a difficult afternoon at the Emirates.
Tottenham arrived with a cautious game plan, sitting deep and offering little ambition, and Arsenal eventually broke them down after a frustrating opening half-hour.
Mikel Merino’s sublime clipped pass found Leandro Trossard, who brought the ball down expertly before spinning and guiding a left-footed finish into the bottom corner to make it 1-0.
Minutes later, Arsenal doubled their lead. Declan Rice recycled Timber’s cleared cross and found Eze on the edge of the area.
The summer signing weaved past two challenges and fired a low strike into the far corner for his first of the afternoon, giving Arsenal full control at the break.
Any hopes Spurs had of regrouping evaporated within 60 seconds of the restart. Timber picked out Eze again on the edge of the box, and the midfielder shifted onto his left foot and buried another precise finish into the bottom corner, making it 3-0 and silencing Thomas Frank’s half-time plans.
Tottenham’s first shot of the match didn’t arrive until the 58th minute — but what a shot it was. Richarlison pounced on a midfield turnover and lobbed David Raya from nearly 40 yards to pull one back with a stunning first-time strike.
But Arsenal responded with calm dominance, and Eze completed his hat-trick in the 78th minute. Trossard squared the ball across the box, Eze took a touch onto his right foot and curled a superb finish beyond Guglielmo Vicario to secure the match ball and cap a commanding individual performance.
Arsenal saw out the final minutes in total control, their fans in full voice as Spurs supporters streamed out early. The champions-in-waiting showcased their squad depth once again despite missing Gabriel, Martin Ødegaard, Viktor Gyökeres and Kai Havertz.
Tottenham, meanwhile, were flat, passive and uninspired ; registering just three shots and an xG of 0.07. With only one win in their last five, they remain stuck in mid-table and miles off their north London rivals.
The win extends Arsenal’s lead at the top of the Premier League and marks their fourth straight derby victory their longest streak in 36 years.
