Arsenal’s Eberechi Eze delivered a stunning hat-trick in the North London derby, reigniting title hopes.
Arsenal surged six points clear at the top of the Premier League after Eberechi Eze’s superb hat-trick inspired a 4-1 demolition of Tottenham at the Emirates Stadium. The victory extended Mikel Arteta’s unbeaten run to 15 games across all competitions and reinforced belief that the Gunners are primed to end their two-decade title drought.
The club has not been crowned English champions since 2004, and three successive runners-up finishes had raised doubts about Arteta’s ability to deliver. Last season’s 10-point gap behind Liverpool was particularly painful, especially as the champions invested heavily in the summer transfer window. Arsenal’s own frustrations included a narrow 1-0 defeat at Anfield in August, but Arteta’s faith in his injury-hit squad has been rewarded with a blistering surge.
A 10-game winning streak was halted by a 2-2 draw at Sunderland before the international break, but Arsenal quickly regained momentum against their fiercest rivals. Eze’s hat-trick, the first in a North London derby since 1978, stole the spotlight and marked his breakout moment in Arsenal colours.
The performance carried added meaning due to a tweet Eze posted in April 2015, when he was released by Millwall at just 16 years old, having already been let go by Arsenal’s youth academy. “I swear imma make it and when I do, they’re gunna show this tweet lol,” he wrote. The message resurfaced after his heroics, with fans hailing his prophecy fulfilled. One supporter posted simply: “Believe yourself.”
Eze grew up supporting Arsenal and eventually earned his senior breakthrough at Queens Park Rangers before a five-year spell at Crystal Palace. His move to Arsenal was nearly derailed last summer when Tottenham targeted him, but the Gunners secured his signature in a £60 million deal. Asked about the failed Spurs move, Eze dismissed the subject: “Let’s not speak about that.”
Sky Sports writer Nick Wright described the derby display as a “brutal exhibition of what Spurs missed out on, performed by a man seemingly on a mission to hammer home the message.” He added: “It was by far his best performance yet for Arsenal but it also hinted at how much more there is to come from him.”
With captain Martin Odegaard sidelined through injury, Eze has assumed the club’s chief playmaking role. His commanding performance against Tottenham stamped authority on the position and proved he has the quality to lead Arsenal’s title charge. For Arteta, the emphatic derby win reinforced belief that this season may finally deliver the long-awaited Premier League crown.