Eze with a hat-trick
©IMAGO
Three days before the Champions League duel with FC Bayern, the English league leaders FC Arsenal were in top form in the Premier League. The Gunners won the North London derby 4-1 (2-0) against arch-rivals Tottenham Hotspur. The man of the match was Eberechi Eze, who scored three goals. Arsenal signed the 27-year-old from Crystal Palace in the summer for 69.3 million euros after Spurs had also courted him intensively.
At the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal dictated the action from the start and put Tottenham under pressure while the visitors barely got into the opposition half. Leandro Trossard (36th minute) shot his team into the lead after a nice assist from Mikel Merino. Just five minutes later, Eze (41′) increased the score to 2-0. Immediately after the restart, the 27-year-old scored again (46th).
Tottenham didn’t take off offensively for a long time and remained without a shot on goal for almost an hour. Then Richarlison scored a dream goal out of nowhere. The Brazilian shot from 35 meters and lofted the ball over Arsenal keeper David Raya (55th). But that didn’t turn things around. The game continued only in the direction of the Spurs goal. Finally, the outstanding Eze (76th) crowned his performance with his third goal.
With the win, league leaders Arsenal extended their lead over new runners-up Chelsea to six points – and gained confidence for the game against the Bundesliga leaders from Munich, who are also in strong form. Tottenham is eleven points behind in ninth place.