Eberechi Eze didn't appear to pull any punches when he told Riccardo Calafiori and Noni Madueke exactly what he thought during the North London Derby
A lip reader has revealed what Eberechi Eze said to Riccardo Calafiori and Noni Madueke during Arsenal's 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur. It had been speculated that the 27-year-old midfielder, who fired the Gunners to victory in the North London Derby on Sunday evening, had some choice words about Igor Tudor's side.
A section of the Arsenal fanbase on social media reckoned that Eze had described Spurs as 'trash', shortly after taking a seat on the bench. The England international was replaced by Martin Odegaard with a quarter of an hour or so left on the clock.
An expert has investigated the exchange, which was caught on camera by Sky Sports. An official transcript from lip reading expert Nicola Hickling at LipReader reads: "[Eze] appears to say, 'It’s f****d,' while rotating his finger in an upward circular motion.
"He then says, 'It’s not working,' pulling his shirt up over his head briefly before wiping his face and lowering it again. A voice off-screen (partially not visible) seems to respond.
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"He reacts with: 'I remember… the boss said it’s cool, Eze, Er not today.' He raises his hand and says, 'Why should I,' flicking his hand outward in a dismissive or disagreeing gesture.
"The other speaker remains mostly off-camera, so their words are not visible. While biting the edge of his shirt, appearing to process what’s being said, he replies, 'Right now, yeah.' Looking away, he adds: 'He trashed ’em… it’s trash, it’s all trash.'"
The voice off-screen in the clip of the exchange was Peter Drury, who commentated on the game for Sky Sports. Eze put Arsenal ahead on the half-hour mark, thumping the ball past Guglielmo Vicario from close range.
Tottenham equalised no more than a minute later, with Randal Kolo Mauni forcing a mistake from Declan Rice. Viktor Gyokeres doubled the Gunners' lead before the former Crystal Palace talisman netted his second of the afternoon.
In the dying embers of stoppage time, Arsenal put the fourth and final nail in the coffin, sealing a crucial win in the title race. The Gunners managed to restore their five-point cushion at the top of the table, putting the pressure back on Manchester City, who have a game in hand.
After the game, Eze was slightly more conservative in his assessment of the game. Once the dust had settled, the Arsenal midfielder told club media: "We played with dominance today, with confidence and just the connection that we had on the pitch.
"I think it was a special performance from us and something that we can continue to build on and something to work towards our goals. We know what these types of games are.
"We know the energy that the fans are bringing and how we need to be emotionally ready for the games as well. I think we've done so well with that and we took advantage of that for sure.
"These games are all about momentum and being in the moment. I'm just thankful to God for the opportunities that we took today. We worked so hard, we gave everything and when we perform like this it motivates us."