Arsenal have stretched their lead at the top of the Premier League table to six points after thrashing rivals Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 in the north London derby on Sunday.
The first half was conducted almost entirely as an attack versus defence experiment. Spurs boss Thomas Frank went with a back five and challenged Arsenal to break his side down — something they nearly did early on when an Eberechi Eze scoop to Declan Rice was well saved by Guglielmo Vicario. Spurs’ tactics weren’t pretty but they did frustrate Arsenal for much of the opening period.
But such a defensive approach only looks wise if it works — and two well-constructed Arsenal goals, from Leandro Trossard on 36 minutes and Eze five minutes later, put the hosts in the driving seat.
And within a minute of the second half Arsenal were three up, Eze again, with a lovely left-footed finish. The scoring hadn’t finished there, either. Richarlison reduced the deficit with sensational long-range goal that caught David Raya way off his line but this was Eze’s day, and he completed a sensational hat-trick on 76 minutes to cap off a memorable day for both him and his new side.
Art de Roché, Jay Harris and Dan Sheldon break down the key moments from the game.
A seismic weekend in the title race?
As Premier League match rounds go, this one could not have gone better for Arsenal.
With Manchester City and Liverpool both losing on Saturday, it created a significant opportunity for Arteta’s side to extend their lead at the top of the table.
They are now seven points clear of third-place Manchester City and 11 points ahead of Liverpool, whose title defence is over before anyone has even had the chance to open the first door on their advent calendars.
(Ben Stansall / AFP via Getty Images)
By playing a day later than City and Liverpool, and knowing they had both dropped points, it added an element of pressure on Arsenal to ensure they capitalised on the chance to further cement their status as this season’s team to beat.
And the fact they did this comfortably against Tottenham Hotspur, who had not lost away from home in the league until losing at the Emirates Stadium, will only make the weekend even more sweeter.
Dan Sheldon
Where does this result leave Thomas Frank?
Spurs enjoyed a relatively kind start to the season, which meant that October and November was going to be the period when they were truly tested with fixtures against Aston Villa, Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal. The fact they failed to win any of those games only underlines the scale of the job on Thomas Frank’s hands.
What is truly frustrating for the fanbase is that they failed to produce a good performance against any of those opponents. They had an impressive 10-minute spell against Manchester United but threw it away by allowing Matthijs de Ligt to equalise. Spurs offered barely any attacking threat against Chelsea and were torn apart by Arsenal.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
Spurs are struggling without Dominic Solanke, James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski but still possess enough quality in the squad to pose Arsenal more problems than they did on Sunday afternoon.
This result leaves Frank in a challenging position. Supporters are becoming restless because this team seems to have plateaued over the last month. Frank needs to be more bold and adventurous with his tactics. Awkward questions will be asked over how he started with a back five yet conceded four goals.
He cannot be blamed for everything though. This squad lacks quality in key areas and that was painfully clear when Eberechi Eze, who Spurs tried to sign in the summer, scored a hat-trick. If Spurs had been more clinical in the transfer market, Eze would have been playing for them instead of embarrassing them.
The worst thing for Spurs is that things do not get any easier as they face the holders Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League on Wednesday. Fans will be fearful that another chastening evening awaits
Jay Harris
Just how good was Eberechi Eze?
What an afternoon this was for Eberechi Eze. Just like when he was presented on the pitch after signing in August, the 27-year-old’s face told the story after his second goal.
Arsenal’s No 10, a boyhood fan, seemed in utter disbelief at what he had just done by putting them 3-0 up, with two exceptional goals in his first north London derby as a player.
(Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
For his first, the close control on the edge of the box to create the opening is exactly what Arsenal have been looking to open games up for in recent years. The clinical strike off his left foot for his second goal was just indicative of someone who was in a flow state. Sitting down yet another Spurs defender before completing his hat-trick was the icing on the cake.
Eze is the first player to score a hat-trick in the north London derby since Alan Sunderland back in 1978.
Hat-tricks in the north London derby
| Player | Team | Year |
|---|---|---|
|
Ted Drake |
Arsenal |
1934 |
|
Terry Dyson |
Tottenham |
1961 |
|
Alan Sunderland |
Arsenal |
1978 |
|
Eberechi Eze |
Arsenal |
2025 |
The backdrop of this game being the love triangle-like transfer saga that involved Eze, Arsenal and Spurs will only make these goals sweeter.
While Spurs seemed to be in the driving seat, Eze’s last-minute phone call to Mikel Arteta showed just how much he wanted to be an Arsenal player — 14 years after being released by the club.
He has since spoken openly about regularly asking whether Arsenal were interested in him when the interest of other clubs was brought to his attention, most recently with Adebayo Akinfenwa earlier this week.
He also spoke to Idris Elba for Sky Sports in the build-up to this game, so there’s no doubt the spotlight was on him.
Thomas Frank replied “Who?” when asked about Eze in his pre-match press conference on Friday. It’s be fair to say he won’t need any reminders now.
Art de Roché
Was Spurs’ first-half approach too meek?
Spurs set up in a 3-4-3 system which was all about frustrating Mikel Arteta’s side. It was the exact same gameplan Frank used against Arsenal during his time with Brentford. The problem is you have to show more bravery when you are in charge of Tottenham and away to their fiercest rivals.
There have been a few occasions this season when Frank’s pragmatic tactics have worked — the best examples being the 2-0 victory over Manchester City in August and the UEFA Super Cup against Paris Saint-Germain. Spurs took the lead in both of those games which forced their opponents to push up higher and allowed them to play on the counter.
Tottenham’s gameplan worked for the first half an hour but it was in tatters from the moment Leandro Trossard put Arsenal in front. They did not have the right blend of players on the pitch to be more expansive and take control of the game. Eze’s first goal, Arsenal’s second, hammered that point home.
Spurs did not have a single shot in the first half and only registered two touches in Arsenal’s box. Frank abandoned the back three at half-time by bringing on Xavi Simons for Kevin Danso. That plan self-destructed less than a minute into the second half when Eze scored again.
(Ben STANSALL / AFP via Getty Images)
Richarlison’s spectacular lob might have made the scoreline look slightly better but it was a freak goal as opposed to something which came from Spurs exerting dominance.
Frank desperately needs to find a way to make this team more confident in possession. They have produced three meek performances against Chelsea, Manchester United and Arsenal.
Jay Harris
How did Arsenal break through Spurs’ back five?
With Viktor Gyokeres out of the starting XI through injury, Arsenal could not rely on anyone to repeatedly stretch Tottenham’s back-five though energy alone.
But they found another way to it break it down: the scoop.
In only the third minute, Eberechi Eze played in Declan Rice with a beautiful lofted ball over the top, which led to Guglielmo Vicario, the Spurs goalkeeper, making a good stop to prevent Arsenal taking an early lead.
However, when you have as many players as comfortable on the ball — and in tight spaces — as Arsenal do, then it was only ever going to be a matter of time before they tried that move again.
So, when Mikel Merino received the ball in front of the Spurs penalty area, looked up and spotted Trossard’s run, there was only going to be one outcome.
The Spaniard played a perfectly-weighed pass over the Tottenham defence into Trossard’s path, with the Belgian taking a touch and spinning his body before directing his shot into the bottom corner to give Arsenal the lead.
Dan Sheldon
How did Piero Hincapié get on?
With Gabriel out for the foreseeable future, the biggest selection dilemma for Mikel Arteta would have been how to replace the Brazilian. He had three options in Piero Hincapie, Riccardo Calafiori and Cristhian Mosquera and opted for the most logical in Hincapie.
This was the defender’s first league start for Arsenal after signing late in the summer transfer window, but he stepped in without missing a beat.
(Julian Finney/Getty Images)
The William Saliba/Gabriel partnership is defined by their differences, as Gabriel tends to be the more aggressive defender. That was the case with Hincapie in his place, as the Ecuador international was extremely comfortable defender in higher areas of the pitch.
Early on, his interventions helped Arsenal pin Spurs into their half of the pitch, stopping Thomas Frank’s side from gaining any momentum in the game. It was his battle with Mohammed Kudus that was particularly impressive, as he continuously disrupted the Spurs forward, negating any chances for him to carry the visitors upfield.
That combative approach was vital to setting the tone for Arsenal, and gave them a solid platform before scoring their two first half goals.
Art de Roché
What did Mikel Arteta say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What did Thomas Frank say?
We will bring you this after he has spoken at the post-match press conference.
What next for Arsenal?
Wednesday, November 26: Bayern Munich (home), Champions League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET
What next for Spurs?
Wednesday, November 26: Paris Saint-Germain (away), Champions League, 8pm UK, 3pm ET