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Tottenham Hotspur could not win today.
Had Thomas Frank opted for a 4-3-3 or 4-2-3-1 lineup in the North London derby, and Arsenal run riot at the Emirates, the Dane would have been lambasted by all corners for being naive. Instead, the finger was pointed at him for a conservative setup, which - in fairness - did not appear to be the worst tactic.
Arsenal did not only lose their set-piece threat with no Gabriel Magalhaes, but also a critical component of their defensive structure in dead-ball situations, which their North London rivals have also been known to excel at this season.
And, this was a Spurs side who arrived at the Emirates with the best Premier League away record so far this season. Sitting deep, playing on the counter and hoping to dominate set-pieces were justifiable moves against a Gunners side renowned for a perceived lack of open-play creativity.
However, if Tottenham were trying to operate in a deep block, the least they could have done was pick up Arsenal's chief creative threat. They did not, and he created North London derby history in another Premier League title statement for Mikel Arteta's men.
Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham: Eberechi Eze sends Martin Odegaard huge selection warning
Were it not for one phone call from Eberechi Eze to Mikel Arteta on a summer's evening, there would have been no euphoric Emirates introduction for the former Crystal Palace sensation.
The majority of the Emirates crowd would have been against him today. They would have jeered and cheered every poor touch, misplaced pass and wayward shot. Alternatively, they would have wondered what could have been had he painted North London lilywhite on Sunday evening.
But a sleeping Eze dreamed of devastating Arsenal's bitter-most rivals on a day like today.Â
The 27-year-old's Gunners career may not have got off to the explosive start some had hoped or expected - a consequence of him finding his perfect position and Arsenal facing the deepest of deep defences - but he only needs a yard of space to work his clinical magic.
Each of Eze's three goals on Sunday - when he became the first player to ever score a North London derby hat-trick - came as a consequence of Tottenham failing to get men around him, most notably Joao Palhinha and Rodrigo Bentancur, both of whom were taking out by one nifty jink for his first goal.
The two supposed holding midfielders were nowhere to be seen when Eze curled in his sumptuous second and third of the evening too, and not for the first time in a red and white shirt, he looked in disbelief at what had just transpired at an energised Emirates.
The 27-year-old produced one of the best - if not the best - individual Premier League performance of the season just when Martin Odegaard is about to return from a knee injury, and the consensus was that the captain would immediately return to the XI when fully fit.
As skipper, Odegaard's starting place should not come under any threat, but with Eze and fellow scorer Leandro Trossard in the form they are currently in, it is difficult to make a case for either to be dropped from the first XI.
Of course, rotation and fatigue must come into play during the unforgiving winter period, but if Eze kicks on from here and Odegaard cannot recapture his 2022-23 and 2023-24 form, Mikel Arteta's captain is far from a starting lineup shoo-in.
Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham: Gunners are champions in waiting after Spurs slaughter
The headlines, the match ball and the player of the match trophy belonged to the beaming hat-trick hero, but do not gloss over Arsenal's performance as a collective - it is not outlandish to suggest that they were close to perfect.
Had it not been for one Martin Zubimendi mistake and one phenomenal Richarlison strike - Kenny McLean eat your heart out - we may be sat here right now talking about a perfect Arsenal performance, one that ought to have Manchester City and Liverpool quaking in their boots.
Tottenham's problems building out from the back are well-documented, but Arsenal nevertheless restricted their foes to a paltry 0.07 Expected Goals, while firing 17 shots of their own and having 27 touches in the opposition box.
The naysayers repeatedly stressed that Arsenal's glut of goals from set-pieces were not sustainable. So Arsenal lost their chief set-piece threat and started scoring for fun from open play. Against a Tottenham side that started with no fewer than eight defensively-minded players.
Barring Sunderland, Liverpool and Man City, Arsenal's dominance of the division makes it easy to forget the players who were missing this afternoon. No Gabriel, no Odegaard, no Kai Havertz, no Gabriel Jesus, no Viktor Gyokeres, but no shortage of solutions.
Piero Hincapie seamlessly slotted into the backline, Trossard is playing some of his best football for a couple of years, and any striker would have been delighted to receive Mikel Merino's delicate chipped pass for the Belgian's opener tonight.
The Gunners of old may have crumbled after Richarlison's wonder strike. The Gunners of old may have wilted under the pressure of trying to capitalise on Man City and Liverpool's slip-ups.
The Arsenal of now are a new breed. A merciless cohesive unit made up of magnificent individuals. And at this rate, North London will not be the only thing that is red come May - the ribbons on the Premier League trophy will be too.
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