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Eze Nets Hat-Trick as Arsenal Dominates Tottenham
It was a momentous weekend for Arsenal.
Just two weeks after a surprising draw at Sunderland provided a glimmer of hope to their Premier League title rivals, the Gunners emphatically reaffirmed their dominance with a resounding victory over Tottenham on Sunday.
Eberechi Eze, once a summer target for Spurs, emerged as the hero, securing his first senior hat-trick and the first in a north London derby since 1978. Arsenal’s commanding 4-1 triumph serves as a clear warning to the rest of the league.
Following defending champions Liverpool’s sixth defeat in seven matches and Manchester City’s loss at Newcastle, Mikel Arteta’s squad encountered no such setbacks, extending their lead over second-place Chelsea to six points.
Against their fierce rivals, who had previously remained unbeaten away from home this season, Arsenal’s victory felt like a statement, especially considering the absence of key players like Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Viktor Gyokores due to injuries.
Aside from Richarlison’s impressive long-range chip that salvaged a consolation goal for the visitors, Arsenal maintained complete control, asserting themselves in what was one of the most dominant north London derbies in recent memory.
Arsenal registered 17 shots compared to Tottenham’s mere three, with the visitors recording a paltry expected goals (xG) of just 0.07.
“This is crazy. Special day, man. Special day for me, my family,” Eze reflected on BBC Match of the Day.
“I don’t think I could have ever dreamed of it. This is more special than that. I can only thank God.
“We were prepared for whatever set-up they were coming with because of the diligence of our staff. Huge credit to them, and of course the players in our team – the ability, the talent. From whatever angle, we’re threatening to score goals.
“I probably should have scored four. I’m always trying to score, always trying to take my chances. It’s important to be relentless.”
Eze hat-trick sends Arsenal six points clear at top with win over Spurs
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It was a truly memorable day for Eze, an Arsenal supporter since childhood.
Prior to the match, Tottenham manager Thomas Frank’s dismissive “who?” when questioned about Eze’s near-transfer to Spurs in the summer came back to haunt him.
Securing a first senior hat-trick is a significant achievement in itself, let alone accomplishing it in the first north London derby in Premier League history.
Eze joined Arsenal in a £67m deal and is solidifying his position as a key player under manager Mikel Arteta.
Upon his arrival at the Gunners, questions arose regarding his role within the squad, but an injury to captain Odegaard provided Eze with an opportunity he has seized with both hands.
The 27-year-old has required time to adjust to a different role within the Arsenal team compared to his previous position at Crystal Palace, but he has already begun to make significant contributions.
He provided an excellent assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s late equalizer against City, scored the winning goal against Palace, and now celebrates his first senior hat-trick against Arsenal’s biggest rivals.
His unpredictability adds a new dimension to Arsenal’s attacking options.
The Gunners face two crucial upcoming matches against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, but Eze’s current form suggests he will embrace the challenges ahead.
“That’s him. He had two days off after the England camp and after day one he wanted to train,” Arteta said.
“He wanted to come back and improve and ask questions. When you have such a talent and such intelligence and then you add that willingness to be better and practise, these things happen.
“When I spoke to Thomas Tuchel [about Eze] I said ‘how good is he?’ He said to me ‘one of the best I have seen’. I rate him one of the best in terms of talent. If we add in now his work-rate, willingness to play for this team and the joy I sense when he is in the building we have a special player.”
Eze has been involved in more Premier League goals than any other English player in 2025. Only Erling Haaland (25), Mohamed Salah (23), Bryan Mbeumo (21) and Antoine Semenyo (18) have been involved in more top-flight goals than the Arsenal number 10 (18 – 10 goals, eight assists).
“I know how much this move from Crystal Palace meant to him and what a performance from him. Best player on the pitch,” former Crystal Palace forward Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“This is where his Arsenal career takes off.”
Of course, with 26 games remaining for each team this season, the title race is far from over.
A six-point lead at this stage is certainly not insurmountable, but statistics suggest Arsenal’s advantage holds significant weight.
This marks the fifth occasion that Arsenal has led the Premier League after 12 matches. However, Gunners fans should be wary as they have failed to secure the title on the previous three instances when they held the top spot at this point.
Nonetheless, this represents their largest lead at this stage of a Premier League campaign.
Adding even more optimism for Arsenal fans, no team has ever failed to win the title after holding a lead of six points or more after 12 games in a Premier League season.
While that statistic may be somewhat misleading, as teams have overcome larger deficits to win the title, it still provides a positive outlook for the Gunners.
So, in how many instances have teams trailed the leaders by six or more points after 12 games and still emerged as champions?
The situation remains encouraging for Arsenal, with the answer being just five times – the most recent being in 2013-14 when City trailed leaders Arsenal by six points.
Chelsea must now be considered genuine title contenders, currently occupying second place.
They have secured victories in five of their last six league games, achieving three consecutive wins without conceding for the first time since 2022.
Aston Villa and Palace, trailing Chelsea by two and three points respectively, will also view themselves as potential challengers.
With Liverpool now 11 points adrift of Arsenal, Arne Slot’s side would need to accomplish a feat unprecedented in Premier League history to mount a successful title challenge.
Only two teams have recovered from City’s current seven-point deficit to win the league.
Arsenal fans were likely concerned heading into the north London derby without Gabriel, arguably their best centre-back.
The Brazilian had been a consistent presence in Arsenal’s formidable defensive setup this season, excelling in aerial duels and clearances while recording the joint second-highest number of blocks in the league.
Last season, Arsenal won only four of their 12 league matches when Gabriel and William Saliba were not in the starting lineup together.
However, the current iteration of Arsenal appears to be different after a summer spending spree of £250m, which brought in eight players to enhance the squad’s quality and depth.
increase their squad depth with quality players.
The defender has joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen, with a £52m option to make the deal permanent, and is a favourite of Arteta who called him a “warrior”.
Hincapie is a Bundesliga winner and can also play at left-back, giving Arteta options while ensuring there is no drop-off in quality if Saliba or Gabriel are unavailable.
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