Eberechi Eze, a Spurs summer target, was the hero for Arsenal in their resounding 4-1 win over Tottenham. The Nigerian midfielder scored his first hat-trick in senior football and the first in a north London derby since 1978, sending shockwaves through the league.
Arsenal's victory puts them six points clear of second-placed Chelsea, with only 26 games left to play for each team this season. However, history suggests that leading the Premier League table at this stage of the campaign may not necessarily guarantee success - in fact, it has happened three times before without a title win.
The absence of defender Gabriel and midfielder Martin Odegaard also made Arsenal's win all the more impressive. The Brazilian had been an ever-present in Arsenal's strong defensive start to the season, while Odegaard was struggling with injury, but the team showed resilience and depth. Eze, who signed for £67m from Crystal Palace in August, provided a major boost after being linked with Tottenham throughout the summer transfer window.
Arsenal have another two big games coming up, including matches against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, but they will relish the challenge given their current form. Eze has taken his opportunity with both hands since joining Arsenal and is now starting to cement himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for manager Mikel Arteta.
Eze's performance was hailed by BBC Match of the Day host, Jamie Carragher, who said "that's him. He had two days off after the England camp and after day one he wanted to train." This is a clear indication that Eze will continue to be an important player for Arsenal as they look to challenge for the title.
This win also comes at a time when Liverpool are 11 points behind Arsenal, while Manchester City have fallen to a sixth loss in seven matches. Aston Villa and Palace, who sit third and fourth respectively in the table, will consider themselves challengers.
The absence of Gabriel did not seem to affect Arsenal's defensive solidity, with the team keeping their second clean sheet of the season. This has been crucial in their strong start to the campaign, as they have won eight out of 12 matches so far.
Despite some doubts over Arteta's tactics and the team's ability to keep up with City and Liverpool, this win will give Arsenal fans a renewed sense of confidence. They now have the opportunity to make a statement in the second half of the season and challenge for the title.
Arsenal's victory puts them six points clear of second-placed Chelsea, with only 26 games left to play for each team this season. However, history suggests that leading the Premier League table at this stage of the campaign may not necessarily guarantee success - in fact, it has happened three times before without a title win.
The absence of defender Gabriel and midfielder Martin Odegaard also made Arsenal's win all the more impressive. The Brazilian had been an ever-present in Arsenal's strong defensive start to the season, while Odegaard was struggling with injury, but the team showed resilience and depth. Eze, who signed for £67m from Crystal Palace in August, provided a major boost after being linked with Tottenham throughout the summer transfer window.
Arsenal have another two big games coming up, including matches against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, but they will relish the challenge given their current form. Eze has taken his opportunity with both hands since joining Arsenal and is now starting to cement himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for manager Mikel Arteta.
Eze's performance was hailed by BBC Match of the Day host, Jamie Carragher, who said "that's him. He had two days off after the England camp and after day one he wanted to train." This is a clear indication that Eze will continue to be an important player for Arsenal as they look to challenge for the title.
This win also comes at a time when Liverpool are 11 points behind Arsenal, while Manchester City have fallen to a sixth loss in seven matches. Aston Villa and Palace, who sit third and fourth respectively in the table, will consider themselves challengers.
The absence of Gabriel did not seem to affect Arsenal's defensive solidity, with the team keeping their second clean sheet of the season. This has been crucial in their strong start to the campaign, as they have won eight out of 12 matches so far.
Despite some doubts over Arteta's tactics and the team's ability to keep up with City and Liverpool, this win will give Arsenal fans a renewed sense of confidence. They now have the opportunity to make a statement in the second half of the season and challenge for the title.
Eze came off the bench and scored a hat-trick for arsenal against spurs?! that's insane! 
i mean, we all knew he was a good player but wow! and for arsenal to win 4-1 is crazy! 
they're in such a great position now with 6 points clear of chelsea too... but at the same time, i'm a little skeptical about them staying on top 
we've seen it happen before where teams are in first place but then fall apart. still, they look so solid right now and eze is just on fire 
!
. Like seriously though, 6 points clear with 26 games left? That's impressive! And Eze's hat-trick performance was insane 
. The fact that Arteta's team can still keep a clean sheet without Gabriel is huge 
. Let's see how they do against City and Liverpool though... 
what's next? £100m+ players coming in? it's just not sustainable for most clubs. and don't even get me started on the hype around Arsenal right now... they're still 11 points behind Liverpool at this point in the season, let's see how long that top spot lasts. 
. But for now, let's just enjoy the win and see how far this team can go! 
they're killin' it right now! Eze is on fire 
it's awesome to see him finally get that first one under his belt after all the hype around him. plus, the fact that arteta's team can bounce back without gabriel and odegaard is a testament to their depth and resilience 
. And btw, 11 points behind Liverpool? that's like a football version of being 100 pounds overweight 
️. I mean, Spurs just got served 
. The team showed great resilience and depth, which is something that'll make them hard to beat in the second half of the season.
. He's clearly been a game-changer since joining the squad, and it'll be interesting to see how he continues to perform under pressure 
.
I was worried about Arsenal after that tough start, but Arteta seems to have gotten his tactics sorted out. The fact that they won without Gabriel and Odegaard is insane! 
Those guys are huge for the team, so it's even more impressive that the squad stepped up.
. Bring on those next two games against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, I'm ready for some more excitement! 
. i mean, £67m isn't too shabby either... guess you get what you pay for right? anyway, it's not like Arteta didn't see this coming tho... like, he was basically begging Spurs to sell him in the summer 
. still gotta beat City and Liverpool, but i guess it's nice to be optimistic... for once 
.
I'm loving how Arsenal is on fire right now! Eze's performance was insane, and I'm glad he finally broke his duck for a hat-trick. It's like he knew exactly what he needed to do to make an impact. The fact that he scored in this North London derby is just the cherry on top 
.
. And I love how Carragher said Eze was back to training after just one day off 
, that shows how serious he is about this team winning. With their current form and these big games coming up, they've got a real shot at the title 
️
] 
] This guy just dropped 4 goals on Spurs and still has time to chill with England