Arsenal strengthened their Premier League title charge with a dominant 4-1 victory over Tottenham, powered by a sensational hat-trick from Eberechi Eze, who showed Spurs exactly what they missed after choosing Arsenal over them last summer.
Eze and Leandro Trossard struck in the first half at the Emirates Stadium, setting the tone for a derby Arsenal controlled from start to finish.
Eze added two more goals after the break to complete only the fourth hat-trick in the history of the north London derby, joining Ted Drake, Terry Dyson, and Alan Sunderland in the exclusive list.
Richarlison briefly sparked hope for Tottenham with a stunning long-range strike, but it proved meaningless as Arsenal restored their dominance and moved six points clear at the top of the table.
The result wiped away the frustration of Arsenal’s 2-2 draw before the international break, when Alan Sunderland’s late equaliser halted their 10-match winning streak.
Eze’s performance — his best since joining from Crystal Palace in a £60 million deal — underlined why Mikel Arteta pushed hard for his signature.
Arsenal, now unbeaten in 15 matches across all competitions, claimed their biggest win over Spurs since 2012 and extended their run to seven derby games without defeat. They have also lost just once in their last 33 home meetings with their north London rivals.
The victory comes at a critical point in Arsenal’s season, with Bayern Munich visiting the Emirates in the Champions League on Wednesday and a top-of-the-table clash with Chelsea looming next weekend.
With Manchester City slipping in a 2-1 defeat to Newcastle and Liverpool battling internal issues, Arsenal appear to have a golden chance to chase their first league title since 2004.
Thomas Frank, whose Tottenham side entered the derby with the Premier League’s best away record, faced renewed criticism for his defensive approach.
Missing Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães was expected to give Spurs an attacking advantage, but they rarely threatened as Frank’s five-at-the-back tactic collapsed under Arsenal’s relentless pressure.
