Arsenal are riding high following their 4-1 north London derby win over Tottenham but not everyone was positive after the game
Arsenal will still be in high spirits thanks to their 4-1 thumping of Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side overcame a period of disappointing form with a dominant performance away from home in the north London derby.
Despite an error from Declan Rice which gifted Spurs an instant equaliser seconds after Eberechi Eze’s opener, Eze’s second goal and Viktor Gyokeres’ brace sealed a memorable victory at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. The victory restored Arsenal’s five-point advantage at the top of the Premier League table, though Manchester City still have a game in hand away at Leeds to play.
The Gunners will now enjoy a rare period of respite to recover, with their next Premier League fixture being another London derby against Chelsea this Sunday. Now, Mirror Football brings you the latest stories surrounding the league leaders.
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Rooney’s brutal Eze assessment
Wayne Rooney has taken issue with praise over Eze’s mentality this season. The attacking midfielder made a dream £67.5million move to his boyhood club in the summer from Crystal Palace, snubbing Spurs in the process.
Yet, five of his six Premier League goals this season have come in the two fixtures against Tottenham, with the England international going long spells without registering a goal or an assist. His most recent display earned him praise from Kelly Somers, the host of The Wayne Rooney Show podcast, who waxed lyrical about Eze’s ‘mentality’ and ‘character’.
But Rooney was not convinced by that assessment, saying: "I disagree a bit because I don’t think he’s been good enough this season. The two Tottenham games have shined a big light on him but in other games I’ve watched him and not thought he’s been good enough.
"I think a lot of that is probably through not playing consistently, I get that, but when you talk about mentality and character, if I was him I would be trying to make it very difficult for the manager to leave me out, both with your performances and in training. Clearly he’s not doing enough to warrant a place in the team consistently.
"I get that Martin Odegaard is the captain but you’ve got to make it almost impossible for Mikel Arteta to leave you out. After the first Tottenham game I don’t think he did enough to stay in the team so you just hope now for him he plays better consistently to stay in the game. I think he needs to perform a little bit better than he has so far this season."
Rooney added: "I think Eze is better in the penalty box but Odegaard is better when he’s a bit deeper. He’s very clever and picks up some great positions, his movement is very good, you just want to see a bit more from him in the final third. If you could combine the two of them you’d have a great player!"
Arteta 'upset' Eze
Arteta has opened up about Eze’s somewhat underwhelming start to life at Arsenal. Following his hat-trick against Spurs in November, the former Crystal Palace talisman struggled to stamp down his authority and convince his manager that he deserved to be one of the first names on the team sheet.
Eze was handed a rare start in the disappointing 1-1 draw with Brentford earlier this month before being taken off at half time. The 27-year-old was then left out of the starting eleven by Arteta against Wolves, who admitted the player was upset at the decision, though he now knows how to utilise Eze’s strengths going forward.
The Spaniard said: "He scored five goals in the last two games against them, which is extremely difficult to do. But I could see that he wanted to prove something.
"He was upset, even with me, because I didn't play him the other day from the beginning and some of the decisions that I made. And I start to understand how we're going to get the best out of him now.
"You just have to look at his face and the way he was in the dressing room with a big smile, and his eyes are just expressing everything that you need to. He came here for a reason and we need those moments from these players. I think he and the front players today, they've done what we expect from them."