Arsenal cruised to a 4-1 victory over Tottenham in the first north London derby of the campaign as Eberechi Eze bagged a sensational hat-trick. Mikel Arteta’s side had far too much for the Lilywhites as they killed the match off as a contest by half-time.
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Arsenal dominated their rivals from the outset as they pinned the visitors back inside their own territory. And the hosts took the lead nine minutes before the interval as Leandro Trossard stole in and fizzed a shot past Tottenham goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario via a deflection off Micky van de Ven.
The Gunners went 2-0 up in the 41st minute as Eze swivelled on the edge of the box before firing home. And the England winger then grabbed his second and Arsenal’s third moments after the interval with another fine finish from just inside the penalty area.
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Tottenham were handed a huge lift when Richarlison chipped David Raya from 45 yards after Martin Zubimendi was dispossessed. But Eze put the game to bed with his team’s fourth as the Gunners bagged the three points. And Express Sport rates and slates the Arsenal players.
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Arsenal player ratings (4-3-3)
David Raya: 5
Didn’t have much to do for much of the game as Arsenal dominated, but was caught in no man’s land as Richarlison embarrassed him from 45 yards. Was called into action later into the match.
Jurrien Timber: 9
Was a rock in defence as he used his strong physique to bully his opponents. And supported his team-mates in attack as he teed up Eze’s second.
William Saliba: 8
Comfortable in possession as he got on the ball often in the first-half. And talked his centre-back partner Piero Hincapie through the match. Could have played forward at times to launch attacks rather than play the easy ball.
Piero Hincapie: 8
Filled in for the injured Gabriel at the heart of the backline, but didn’t appear to be a downgrade as the Arsenal defence looked solid as usual. Was aggressive and a constant threat at set-pieces.
Riccardo Calafiori: 6
Played a shaky pass in the second-half after Richarlison had given Spurs hopes of a comeback when Arsenal needed to calm things down. Put in a solid performance but didn’t offer as much as Jurrien Timber did down the right.
Eberechi Eze: 10
Unfazed in his first north London derby and oozed class throughout as he bagged a hat-trick. Was unplayable and even scooped a delicious pass to Declan Rice to carve out a chance for his colleague at one stage. Arsenal’s best player on the day by a long way.
Martin Zubimendi: 6
Drifted over to the Arsenal right to support Jurrien Timber on the few occasions Tottenham attempted to attack down the left. But gave the ball away unnecessarily as Richarlison gained possession and chipped Raya.
Declan Rice: 9
Forced a good save from Vicario early on when he should have scored and whipped in a string of excellent set-piece deliveries as usual. Assisted Eze’s first goal and stamped his authority on the match from start to finish.
Bukayo Saka: 7
Has been Arsenal’s main attacking threat for years and attempted to caused Tottenham problems all afternoon with his pace and technique. But was overshadowed by Eze as he failed to register a goal or an assist.
Mikel Merino: 7
Clipped in a sensational pass to Trossard to set-up the opener as he demonstrated his incredible technique. Was once again asked to fill in for Viktor Gyokeres up front and created space for his team-mates.
Leandro Trossard: 9
Made an intelligent run to latch on to Mikel Merino’s sumptuous pass and then kept his cool to fire in the first goal of the match. Was a menace throughout and even laid on an assist for Eze’s third goal before being replaced by Noni Madueke.
Substitutions
Noni Madueke: 6
Came on for Trossard with 12 minutes remaining but will be wondering how he’s supposed to win his place back.
Ethan Nwaneri: 6
Was given some game time towards the end when the match was already decided.
Cristhian Mosquera: 6
Had a run out for a couple of minutes at the end.
Myles Lewis-Skelly: 6
Has barely had a sniff of action this season and will be desperate for more minutes to win his England place back after coming on in stoppage time.