Eze's derby hat-trick sends Arsenal six points clear
LONDON :Eberechi Eze scored a majestic hat-trick as Arsenal trounced north London rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 to open up a commanding six-point lead at the top of the Premier League on Sunday.
For 36 minutes the derby was a cagey contest with a defensively-minded Tottenham frustrating Mikel Arteta's side, but the hosts struck three times in 10 minutes either side of halftime to seize control.
Leandro Trossard broke the deadlock from close range before Eze, the player Arsenal snatched in a summer transfer tussle with Tottenham, rifled in Arsenal's second after 41 minutes.
The second half was only seconds old when Eze again found space on the edge of the area to dispatch another clinical finish inside the post.
Tottenham got a lifeline out of the blue in stunning fashion in the 55th minute when Richarlison lobbed Arsenal keeper David Raya from near the centre circle but Eze completed his hat-trick in the 76th minute to seal the points.
Arsenal, unbeaten in nine league games, have 29 points from 12 games, with second-placed Chelsea on 23. Tottenham's first away league defeat of the season left them ninth on 18 points.
Tottenham thought they were on the verge of signing Eze from Crystal Palace in August but Arsenal scooped him from under their noses. If that was not bad enough, the England international gave a graphic demonstration of what they missed out on as he lit up his first north London derby.
"That is crazy. Special day man. Special day for me, my family," said Eze, who had managed only one league goal for Arsenal prior to Sunday.
"I probably should've scored four to be honest ... I'm always trying to score, always trying to take my chances. It's important to be relentless."
Tottenham had been impressive away from home under new manager Thomas Frank with no defeats and only three goals conceded in the Premier League before Sunday.
Frank set his side up conservatively for his first taste of the derby with containment rather than entertainment clearly on his mind, but his plan unravelled in alarming fashion.
"It's extremely painful to stand here after an extremely bad performance," the Dane said.
Three central defenders, two holding midfielders and deep full backs reluctant to cross the halfway line restricted Arsenal to just one real chance in the opening half an hour as Eze's scooped pass was met on the volley by Declan Rice and Guglielmo Vicario saved well.
Vicario was not called into serious action again until the 33rd minute when he sprang to his right to keep out a Bukayo Saka free kick, but Tottenham soon caved in.
For once, Arsenal found space in the Tottenham area with Mikel Merino's chipped pass controlled by Trossard with his back to goal. The Belgian took a touch and his shot on the turn nicked off Micky van de Ven to give Vicario no chance.
Tottenham were penetrated again before halftime as Eze turned on the edge of the area and as the visitors' defence backed off he fired a low shot through a crowd and beyond Vicario.
Spurs sent on attacking midfielder Xavi Simons at halftime but within seconds of the restart it was effectively all over as once again Eze was allowed too much time and he thrashed a shot past Vicario.
Tottenham had not landed a glove on Arsenal for 55 minutes but scored with their first shot on target as Joao Palhinha won the ball just inside Arsenal's half and Richarlison, spotting Raya off his line, floated a 45-metre shot into the net.
It maintained Tottenham's record of scoring in every away derby at Arsenal since 2017 and briefly they were re-energised.
But any hope of a comeback ended when Eze yet again found space and his right-footed finish was sublime.
But for Vicario, Tottenham could have conceded more as Arsenal outclassed them and by the end most of their fans had already voted with their feet and left for home.
