Eberechi Eze fired a stunning hat-trick to lead Arsenal to a dominant 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in the 198th North London derby on Sunday.
The England star was on the verge of signing for Spurs during the summer, only for Arsenal to step in and hijack the deal, securing his signature for £67.5 million from Crystal Palace.
Arsenal headed into the clash at the Emirates without defender Gabriel Magalhaes, who was ruled out of the next few weeks with an injury sustained on international duty with Brazil.
Tottenham Hotspur manager Thomas Frank started with a back three setup in an attempt to thwart Arsenal’s fluid attack.
The hosts started the game well and were denied an early opener after Vicario denied Declan Rice from close range.
Spurs struggled to get a stronghold on the game and were deservedly behind in the 36th minute as Leandro Trossard opened the scoring with a deflected effort.
Eberechi Eze, making his first North London derby appearance, scored a sublime goal in the 41st minute to double Arsenal’s advantage.
It was a poor first half showing from the visitors who failed to threaten David Raya and ended the half without any attempt on goal.
Arsenal were off the blocks early in the second half and scored few seconds into the half through Eze, who got his second of the game with a lovely finish.
Richarlison then produced a moment of brilliance for Spurs, lobbing Raya from distance after Palhinha had robbed Zubimendi in midfield to pull one back for the visitors.
The momentum shifted briefly towards the visitors, although Arsenal could have scored another as William Saliba missed a sitter after Vicario missed a corner kick.
However, they regained their three-goal advantage as Eze completed his hat-trick with a right-footed attempt into the net to seal a 4-1 win for the home side.
The 27-year-old became the first Arsenal player to score a hat-trick in the North London derby since 1973 as the Gunners sealed a fourth straight win over Spurs for the first time in EPL history.
Mikel Arteta’s men increase their lead at the top of the league standings to six point ahead of second-placed Chelsea, as both sides clash in a Super Sunday clash next weekend.
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