Eberechi Eze produced a scintillating hat-trick to inspire Arsenal to a commanding 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in a fiery North London Derby at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.
The midfielder delivered a performance of precision and power, dismantling Spurs almost single-handedly in one of the most one-sided derbies in recent years.
Arsenal asserted their authority early, dominating possession and forcing Tottenham onto the back foot.
Their breakthrough came in the 37th minute when Leandro Trossard capitalised on space inside the area, his deflected strike beating Guglielmo Vicario to put the hosts ahead.
Eze then seized control. Moments before the interval, he latched onto a Declan Rice pass on the edge of the box and sent a low effort into the bottom corner, doubling Arsenal’s lead at 2-0.
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Straight after the restart, Arsenal extended their advantage. Jurrien Timber squared a neat pass to Eze, who drilled a precise shot into the bottom left corner for his second of the night and Arsenal’s third.
Tottenham responded in the 55th minute with a sensational long-range effort from Richarlison, who lobbed the goalkeeper from 30 metres to briefly spark hope for the visitors.
But Arsenal were relentless. In the 76th minute, Trossard linked up with Eze once more, allowing the England international to complete his hat-trick with a strike that found its way into the right corner, sealing a dominant derby win.
The match was riddled with tension, reflected in multiple yellow cards for both sides, including bookings for Cristian Romero, Rodrigo Bentancur, Pedro Porro and Declan Rice. Mikel Arteta’s substitutions, Noni Madueke, Ethan Nwaneri, Myles Lewis-Skelly and Cristhian Mosquera, helped Arsenal maintain control and see out the final minutes with authority.
