Eze Inspires Emphatic Arsenal Victory in North London Derby
Arsenal delivered a devastating performance to crush rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in a one-sided North London derby at the Emirates Stadium. The match was defined by a spectacular hat-trick from Eberechi Eze, who tormented the Spurs defence throughout the afternoon, particularly in a dominant second-half display from the Gunners.
Derby Debut to Remember for Eze
All eyes were on summer signing Eberechi Eze, who had rejected Tottenham's advances before joining Arsenal. The midfielder produced a performance of exceptional quality, opening the scoring with a moment of individual brilliance before adding two more clinical finishes after the break. His second-half double came within minutes of the restart, with his third goal effectively ending the contest and sending the home supporters into raptures.
Bukayo Saka was visibly delighted for his teammate, celebrating the hat-trick almost as enthusiastically as the scorer himself. The only blemish on an otherwise perfect Arsenal performance came when Richarlison capitalised on a rare mistake from Martín Zubimendi to loop an impressive consolation goal over David Raya.
Player Ratings: Heroes and Villains
Arsenal saw several standout performers in their comprehensive victory. Jurrien Timber was exceptional, providing an assist and rarely putting a foot wrong, while Riccardo Calafiori delivered enormous energy despite carrying a hip injury. Declan Rice's powerful runs from midfield consistently troubled Tottenham, and Leandro Trossard capped his performance with a expertly taken goal after being set up by Mikel Merino's sublime pass.
For Tottenham, it was a day to forget for many. Rodrigo Bentancur spent most of the match chasing shadows and received the lowest rating of any starter. Defender Kevin Danso was substituted at half-time after a nervous performance, while Cristian Romero's miserable afternoon was compounded by a booking that rules him out of their next match through suspension. Only Richarlison emerged with any credit for his cleverly taken consolation goal.
The victory extends Arsenal's lead at the top of the Premier League table and delivers a significant psychological blow to their North London rivals in what proved to be a completely one-sided contest.
