Football FanCast

Eberechi Eze has seemingly been put on this planet to heap misery onto Tottenham Hotspur.

The flashy winger hasn't exactly done much since leaving Crystal Palace and signing for Arsenal in a £67m deal, but he's bagged five times against Spurs after they almost secured his signature last month.

Tottenham were left chagrined after his move was scuppered by Arsenal's interest, but fan worries were (temporarily allayed upon the £52m signing of Xavi Simons from RB Leipzig.

However, Simons was overshadowed by his Gunner counterpart on Sunday evening.

Xavi Simons' performance vs Arsenal

Tottenham are in a Premier League relegation battle. All it takes is a couple of wins to change that narrative, but that is clearly Tudor's focus for the remainder of the campaign, and not catering to far-fetched hopes of winning the Champions League.

To change the narrative, the hard-nosed Croatian will need to bring out the best in Simons, who has at times showed such promise this season but then crumbles when the going gets tough, as was shown during the defeat to Arsenal.

To not score or assist? That's excusable. But to win only one of 16 contested duels is a greivous affront against the paying Spurs supporters, speaking of a lack of commitment or, at the very least, impetus on a day of rivalry. The supporters showed up, sang and roared and bellowed, but Tudor's side wilted away early on and never recovered. Simons was a part of that feeble pack.

It is be unfair to be too scathing about Simons' performance. He has been one of the brighter sparks in recent weeks, and it's unlikely that Eze would have enjoyed the same snappy success had the roles been reversed.

Nonetheless, with James Maddison and Dejan Kulusevski still sidelined, he's struggled to make his mark all season, and it's not just the two senior stars in front of him that he needs to be watching out for.

Spurs already have a future Simons upgrade

In Luca Williams-Barnett, Tottenham have found the latest in a long line of elite prospects who is considered not only good enough to shine for Tottenham but to stand out as one of Europe's best players.

The 17-year-old has been described by U23 scout Antonio Mango as the "most underrated talent in English Academies", but having scored six goals and supplied five assists from ten matches in the Premier League 2 this season, he's beginning to earn the respect he deserves.

Williams-Barnett has already made his professional debut for the Lilywhites, playing a few minutes on the left wing as Thomas Frank's side defeated Doncaster Rovers 3-0. Happier times.

And with six bench appearances from Tottenham's previous eight Premier League outings, it's clear that he's inching closer to a big role in this sinking Spurs ship.

With that in mind, could he be the player to take the number seven shirt from Simons? Williams-Barnett is silky and stylish on the ball, well-developed as an athlete even at this young age.

Back at the start of the season, content creator Ronaldo Brown said that Simons has been "swallowed in the Premier League", his lack of physicality and composure letting him down.

There's every chance that Williams-Barnett would encounter similar hurdles right now, but given the success he is already enjoying and the faith entrusted in him by Tottenham's senior coaching staff across the campaign, there's every reason for Tudor to start handing him some opportunities. He might just surprise a few.

Could he end up being not just Tottenham's homemade Simons upgrade but their own version of Eze too? He's flashy and boasts a range of attacking qualities; it might just be the case.

He's since steadied himself, but is it enough for him to be a superstar for a team like Tottenham? In Williams-Barnett, the Dutchman might just find the decision made for him, should he not turn things around soon.

Tottenham Hotspur are now ready to sanction a summer exit to Rangers after setting one, unexpected condition ahead of the summer transfer window.

Tottenham ready to green-light Rangers move

When Randal Kolo Muani dispossessed Declan Rice before firing beyond David Raya just moments after Arsenal's opener, Tottenham had all the hope in the world.

Igor Tudor's tenure, in their biggest game of the season, was underway as far as they were concerned. But whilst that moment had such great impact in the 34th minute, it quickly became fleeting and Spurs returned to their reality as Arsenal ran riot.

The Lilywhites were shoved aside by their rivals for the second time this season and remain without a Premier League win in 2026. They are not just staring in the face of shock relegation, they are staggering towards it, drunk on the delusion that surely they are too big to create unwanted history.

Having his say on a debut defeat, Tudor told reporters: "Of course there is enough time. I saw the passion, I saw the will, so I was not angry because they wanted to do (it), but then they were not able to do in this moment the things.

"They wanted to do all what we prepared so I said ‘that is good’ but we need to understand which moment we are in now because we are not able to do it.

"Why we are not able to do is the question we resolve and I speak from day one at the club, I come here to resolve the problems."

It's not just those in North London who want to see Spurs avoid relegation, either. According to TeamTalk, Tottenham are ready to green-light Mikey Moore's Rangers move for another year if they avoid the drop this season.

Impressive Moore would benefit from Rangers extension

All parties are reportedly keen to prioritise game time for Moore and the player himself is happy to stay put in Scotland. But relegation for the Lilywhites would undoubtedly result in an exodus of talent, allowing Moore to step up in the Championship. Should they stay in the top flight, however, another year at Rangers would certainly do him no harm.

The winger is still just 18 years old and, after a rough start under Russell Martin, is benefiting from working with Danny Rohl. With one more year, Rangers could unlock a new level in the teenager to boost their own season and the future of Spurs' frontline.

Full of praise for Moore earlier in the campaign, Rohl told reporters: "Mikey again showed his quality on the ball. He is always available, a lot of good movements. I think this is great."

It's fair to say that Rangers didn't think they'd be relying on Tottenham's Premier League survival to extend Moore's loan, but that is the Lilywhites' current, shocking reality.

After being defeated by Arsenal in the Premier League, Tottenham Hotspur's interim manager, Igor Tudor, spoke of bad habits that have taken hold of many of the players in this struggling squad.

Old habits die hard, but Spurs have got to kill them quickly, with the 4-1 thrashing by the Gunners only deepening a crisis that has raised genuine concerns over relegation.

It is not so much the lowly league position - as concerning as it is - that is the problem here, but the manner of the side's limp attempts at putting their issues to rights.

Against Arsenal, they were outworked and outclassed, and years of poor recruitment has led to this critical turning point in Tottenham's trajectory.

Why Spurs lost to Arsenal

Arsenal are probably the best team in Europe right now, but that doesn't matter. What matters is that Tottenham have become their own worst enemy, capable of inflicting more damage upon themselves than their arch-rivals ever could.

Spurs correspondent Alasdair Gold has bemoaned how "unrecognisable they have become", showing against the Gunners that even a rekindled home support, in full, vociferous voice, could not stop the rot.

It's rot of the outfit's own making. Mishandled transfer recruitment in recent years has led to this, with the likes of Radu Dragusin and Xavi Simons among the bright signings of the past few years to have been reduced to mincemeat in the north London derby.

In truth, though, the entirety of Tottenham's first team have fallen below the standard, and while struggling loanee Randal Kolo Muani scored his first Premier League goal of the season, the frontline continues to flatter to deceive.

You have to question the sales of Heung-min Son and Harry Kane in recent years, neither of whom have been effectively replaced as free-scoring focal points.

Whereas before, big-money flops like Tanguy Ndombele would be criticised as abject outliers, now the sub-par superstars are spread all across the Spurs system.

And while the players on the pitch take the brunt of the criticism, sporting director Johan Lange has to be pulled up for his efforts at improving the squad, with one recent piece of business proving to be a real blunder.

Spurs have found their new Ndombele

Ndombele was signed after Tottenham's agonising miss in the 2019 Champions League final, identified as a player who could propel Mauricio Pochettino's project forward.

However, he did anything but that, and Conor Gallagher is in danger of becoming another midfield flop, having only joined the London side from Atletico Madrid in a £35m deal last month.

During his Chelsea days, Gallagher was routinely praised for his energy at the heart of the pitch. Ex-teammate Moises Caicedo even said he was "like a machine", outworking everyone else.

But he's been ineffective in the Spurs midfield, unable to provide any creative support for a team currently in a tailspin.

Gallagher might be a tenacious midfielder, he's shown that at Spurs, but he's not yet proved he has the answer to any of the Londoners myriad of problems, actually proving something of a weak link in a system he does not understand.

Tottenham fans thought they had signed an all-action midfielder with an industrious and influential approach, but he has shown little of that so-called talent thus far, only becoming a part of the problem.

A supposed solution, failing to impress? Gallagher might just be the new Ndombele, who arrived at N17 from Lyon for a record £63m figure in 2019 but was lambasted for unwilling efforts, Sky Sports' Jamie Carragher even saying that one display against Burnley was "nothing short of a disgrace".

The Lewis family's more ardent supporters, such as they are, would point toward a long effort to sign Gallagher. An approach was made while he was still at Chelsea, but Tottenham couldn't get it done and he later transferred to Atletico Madrid.

The fact that Rodrigo Bentancur is currently sidelined does emphasise a degree of sense in bringing the Three Lions star to the club, but he's not a progressive passer, and thus Spurs failed to fix (one of) their most glaring problem during the winter transfer window.

Gallagher cannot be faulted for effort, and in this, he differs from Ndombele, but he's a high-profile player who doesn't fit the system, and he's already looking like wasted money.

A rocky old ten-day period for Arsenal ended in jubilation. It's funny how quickly football can change, isn't it?

After drawing with Brentford and then dropping points in dismal fashion against Wolverhampton Wanderers, the Gunners had an opportunity to make things right when they faced Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday evening.

That said, on paper, this did not look like the easy assignment it did a week ago. Mikel Arteta's men were low on confidence and Spurs were now led by Igor Tudor after Thomas Frank's sacking.

However, the result certainly made things look easy. Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres ran the show as Arsenal proved that north London is indeed red, beating their arch-rivals 4-1 to open up a five-point gap at the top of the Premier League table again.

How Arteta's tactical tweaks defeated Spurs

This has been a week in which Arteta has experimented a little. Whether or not it has worked, however, is up for debate.

Against Wigan Athletic in the FA Cup, Arsenal were initially expected to field Myles Lewis-Skelly in the middle of the park but an injury in the warm-up to Riccardo Calafiori meant that the teenager was shuffled to left-back. Bukayo Saka started in midfield instead.

It looked like an inspired decision and one that Arteta replicated at Molineux a few days ago. While the England superstar did find the net, Arsenal lacked quality in wide areas and looked bereft of many ideas in the final third.

That all changed against Spurs. Saka was back on the right, Leandro Trossard returned on the left and Eze earned a rare start in the Premier League.

Indeed, this was just the second time the 27-year-old had started a league match in 2026 after he was withdrawn at the break in that 1-1 draw with Brentford.

On this occasion, the former Crystal Palace man played like a man with a point to prove. Speaking after the game, Arteta said: "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. I start to understand how we're going to get the best out of him now."

Well, he certainly wasn't upset at the end of this one. At full-time, Eze and his manager shared a warm embrace after the big-money summer signing had scored two more goals against Spurs to add to his hat-trick against the Lilywhites at the back end of 2025.

Partnering Eze with Gyokeres worked a treat and it does look as though the boss has finally worked out how to profile them both. Truth be told, it was the former who played a more central role with the Swede peeling off and running into the channels. It worked brilliantly.

The striker also scored twice and now looks as though he's finally motoring in English football after his mega move from Sporting over the summer.

Gyokeres has now bagged eight goals in his last 12 games. No player in the Premier League has scored more than him across all competitions this calendar year, either.

A huge flop? Think again. The centre forward now looks every bit an Arsenal player.

What Gyokeres' form means for the Arsenal squad

The Sweden international has not had an easy ride in Arsenal colours, far from it. After that draw with Wolves last Wednesday, it meant that Gyokeres had failed to have a single shot on target in 60% of his league matches since signing.

Well, how the narrative turned on Sunday. While he has been improving in 2026, this was his finest performance in the famous red and white to date. Not only did he score twice, but he had the most touches (41) that he's ever had in a Premier League match. Talking about finally introducing yourself.

This run of form, however, is certainly bad news for Arsenal's third-highest earner, Gabriel Jesus.

Taking home a reported £265k-per-week, the Brazilian has delivered a few strong performances since returning from a lengthy injury lay-off. He scored twice against Inter Milan and was on the scoresheet against Wigan just over a week ago in the cup.

The fact of the matter, though, is that Jesus is not nearly as ruthless as Gyokeres. His technique may be nicer on the eye and more aesthetically pleasing to watch but he has looked way off it in a number of matches now.

The 28-year-old has found the net on just two occasions in 11 league games and truth be told, he looks rather finished in an Arsenal shirt now.

His cameo off the bench against Wolves last week just seemed to cement that fact, with the former Manchester City man spurning a fabulous late opportunity to give Arsenal all three points.

Jesus received possession on the left flank and instead of driving towards goal or supplying an assist, got the ball stuck under his feet. Within moments of that incident, Wolves had scored an equaliser and the Gunners had dropped precious points in the title race.

There have been too many moments for Jesus of a like-minded nature since he returned to first-team action and his cameos off the bench do not speak of a player who is capable of helping Arsenal win the league this season.

When he comes on, he lacks the same physicality and ability to occupy the defence as Gyokeres does. He loses the ball far too easily and doesn't press as well as his colleague in attack.

So much was promised of Jesus when he first arrived at the Emirates Stadium. He certainly had a better start to life in north London than their current no.14, scoring five times in his first eight league matches.

That level of performance has now deserted him and with Gyokeres finally up to speed at Arsenal, it's bad news for Jesus. Combine that with Kai Havertz's promising return over recent weeks and the future looks bleak for the Brazilian in the English capital. Should both remain fit between now and the end of the season, there is no excuse not to start them.

Do not expect him to still be with the Gunners come next season either.

Tottenham Hotspur have now set their sights on signing a Premier League rival to replace one of their main stars, leaving Sunderland fearing the worst.

Tudor reiterates: "I'm here to resolve the problems"

There was a brief moment when Tottenham fans believed they could deal their arch rivals another major title blow. Declan Rice's huddle was in danger of going viral for all the wrong reasons when Randal Kolo Muani equalised moments later, but Arsenal soon spared his blushes by thrashing the Lilywhites.

Igor Tudor's side now sit just four points above the dropzone and whilst the interim boss has plenty of work to do, he reminded reporters that he's here to solve Spurs' problems.

The Croatian told reporters: "They wanted to do all what we prepared so I said ‘that is good’ but we need to understand which moment we are in now because we are not able to do it.

"Why we are not able to do is the question we resolve and I speak from day one at the club, I come here to resolve the problems.

"You believe that in three or four trainings you will do your best but when the game starts you don’t know what will happen because it is like this – but as I said before, Tuesday, I come in, everyone there and stay humble. That is the key.

"Stay humble, that is the key for each of us and try to become what I said before – a team, a squad, a hard-working team. That is the only goal we have now in this moment."

Tottenham are now arguably at a point where survival wouldn't be enough to keep hold of some of their starting stars, and that could start with the exit of Guglielmo Vicario.

Tottenham plotting move to sign £50m Vicario replacement

As reported by TeamTalk, Tottenham are now plotting a move to sign Robin Roefs to replace Vicario this summer. The Italian is reportedly attracting interest from back in his home country, with Juventus and Inter Milan battling to secure his signature in the coming months.

That would leave those in North London scrambling for a new No.1, and that's where Roefs could become important. The Sunderland shot-stopper has enjoyed a near-perfect debut season and is now reportedly worth as much as £50m as a result.

Money wouldn't be the greatest obstacle here, however. The biggest task for Tottenham will be convincing Roefs to join after they've endured a season down at the bottom. After an excellent season, those in Wearside may be in the driving seat.

Some at Sunderland may still be fearing the worst amid Tottenham's interest, but Regis Le Bris is unlikely to swing the door open after saying: "For us, shotstopping was important. For a keeper, that is non-negotiable.

"He is quick, very mobile when he manages crosses and he is really well connected with his backline so when there are balls in behind, he is always well aware and mobile in these situations and he is good with his feet."

Tottenham Hotspur's hopes of enjoying a much-needed 'manager bounce' were dashed as Arsenal rocked up at N17 and inflicted on their rivals a second 4-1 thrashing of the season.

Eberechi Eze has left a lot to be desired since leaving Crystal Palace and joining Arsenal for £67m last summer, but his personal vendetta against the club who came within a whisker of taking him from Selhurst Park has been sobering to say the least. Five of his six Premier League goals this term have come against Tottenham.

Igor Tudor arrived in north London last week and said all the right things in the build-up to Sunday's match. He exuded confidence. However, no amount of savoir faire could prevent him from turning the tide at Spurs, with numerous stars unable to muster any quality or cohesion.

Spurs' biggest disappointments vs Arsenal

So often a pillar of strength for Tottenham, Micky van de Ven was well off the boil against Arsenal. It's tough to say, but the Dutchman looks somewhat disinterested, certainly affected as Spurs' interminable suffering goes on and on and on.

The athletic centre-back failed with both of his attempted tackles, despite making nine defensive contributions in total, and there's a real concern that he is losing faith in this term with the critical final months upon us.

He wasn't the only one who frustrated. Conor Gallagher looks so limited on the ball, and Xavi Simons has yet to prove he can be a difference-maker and a talisman from a creative standpoint (though he is hardly being helped by those around him).

In many ways, Cristian Romero was another of Tottenham's biggest disappointments on Sunday. The skipper was absent through suspension, after all.

With Romero sidelined, Tudor was forced to make a few rogue decisions to implement his three-man defence, and while Joao Palhinha struggled in an unnatural role, another defender was the worst of the bunch.

Spurs flop is becoming the new Aurier

Since joining Tottenham from Genoa just over two years ago, Radu Dragusin has had a tough time.

The Romanian centre-half was drafted into a shaky set-up, with Romero and Van de Ven both sidelined. Then he ruptured his ACL and spent the majority of 2025 on the sidelines.

Sky Sports analyst Pythagoras in Boots said after the game, "Dragusin must be the worst CB I’ve seen in quite a while in the Premier League."

Such harsh words were by no means baseless, and while Dragusin is an ostensibly talented defender, coveted by Bayern Munich before Spurs won the race and signed him from Genoa for £27m, he is not utilising his quality very well, and in that, he has become the club's new version of Serge Aurier.

Aurier arrived at Tottenham from PSG with a weight of expectation but left with a reputation for hot-headedness and inconsistency. Dragusin isn't a particularly reckless defender, but he's not a particularly good one either.

In fact, analyst Raj Chohan has joined the pile-on and said that he's "not Premier League level". With the danger of relegation beginning to dawn on the Lilywhites, it's fair to say that the concern is that such criticism will prove prophetic at the end of the season.

Tottenham are incapable of completing the fundamentals right now, and Dragusin's efforts are hardly indicative of him being the catalyst at the rear. Mistakes have been commonplace across the backline this season, and Dragusin has directly contributed toward two of them despite only starting three times.

He's going to be sold sooner rather than later, and will fall into obscurity much like Aurier did. In some ways, it's unfair. Structurally, Spurs are a mess.

However, he made a grave mistake in the lead-up to Eze's second striker of the evening, and it's simply not working. Right now, he's not up to the standard, and though Romero is hardly flawless, his return from suspension cannot come soon enough.

Over the years, Arsenal and Tottenham Hotspur have played out some fiercely contested North London Derbies in the Premier League.

Indeed, at one stage in their collective histories, Spurs were seen as a bogey team that the Gunners constantly found hard to overcome, with Arsenal going the entire 2019/20 season without beating their arch rivals in league action.

Now, however, it's clear who has the upper hand in such a big clash, with Arsenal clinching five wins in a row in the often highly competitive fixture, by demolishing Igor Tudor's hosts 4-1 on Sunday evening.

In the reserve fixture, Mikel Arteta's men also swept their sworn foes aside with ease, as Eberechi Eze's hat-trick broke Spurs hearts, with Tottenham largely second best to the might of the league leaders, again, even with a fresh set of ideas courtesy of Igor Tudor in the managerial hot seat.

How Spurs vs Arsenal unfolded

Arsenal would have entered this high-stakes contest at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium with plenty of nerves attached, having crashed to a 2-2 draw at bottom-of-the-table Wolverhampton Wanderers last time out, to give up some ground to Manchester City in the title race.

Arteta and Co did have to put up with some dicey moments up against their enemies from down the road, with Randal Kolo Muani gifting the hosts a pinch of hope when he confidently tucked home a solo effort minutes after the aforementioned Eze handed Arsenal a one-goal lead.

Unfortunately for Spurs, this was just a momentary slice of optimism across a frankly, otherwise, disastrous contest, as Arsenal powered home three goals with confidence in a second half that saw the Gunners dominate.

This shambolic defeat has pushed Tudor's men even further into the relegation mire, with Spurs now only four points above the relegation zone, off the back of the likes of Xavi Simons, only winning one of his 15 duels, as he regularly shirked getting stuck in in such a big showdown.

Gugilelmo Vicario had an equally miserable afternoon against the rampant league leaders, as the Italian only made two saves, while picking the ball out of his busy net four times in total.

Yet, they were not the only players on the home side to underwhelm on Saturday evening.

Spurs star looks like a big waste of money after the derby

Apart from Kolo Muani, who had an additional strike chalked off in the second half, very few Spurs players could trudge off at the end of the 4-1 defeat with positives intact.

Conor Gallagher certainly falls into the bracket of players who suffered from having an awful afternoon against the league leaders, as the former Chelsea midfielder continues to struggle to fit in at Spurs.

The 26-year-old did chip in with an assist during Spurs' eventful 2-2 draw with Manchester City at the start of the month, but since then, it's been an abject stint for the number 22 in his new home, with possession lost a costly 17 times across defeats to Manchester United and Newcastle United in February.

It somehow got worse for Gallagher against Arsenal on Sunday afternoon, with the former Atletico Madrid man only managing to register 11 accurate passes all match long, as even Vicario ended the one-sided affair with 14 accurate passes tallied up, despite giving up possession a high 24 times.

Moreover, the 22-time England international, who has previously shone as a forceful midfield machine for Crystal Palace and Chelsea, could only muster up 22 touches of the ball before being substituted off just after the hour mark, next to Vicario's 42.

No doubt, Tudor will now be assessing what other options he could throw into the central midfield positions, away from having to rely on a sub-par Gallagher going forward, who also failed to amass a single shot or key pass from his uneventful outing. It's safe to say that he's not had the desired impact on this Spurs side, lacking the ability to progress the play swiftly and lacking the necessary ability to keep possession in the middle of the park.

Tudor could be hard-pressed to find an immediate remedy, with the likes of Rodrigo Bentancur sidelined with a serious injury, as Tudor now comes to terms with the difficult mission he has on his hands to keep Spurs from dropping down to the Championship, just a season on from being crowned Europa League champions.

Should he wish to engineer a quick revival, however, Gallagher must be one of the players to come out of the side. Solutions potentially involved moving Joao Palhinha and Archie Gray back into the engine room.

After the remarkable way in which Arsenal dropped points last midweek, what they needed on Sunday afternoon was a calm affair against Tottenham Hotspur. An easy win was the order of the day.

However, now under the stewardship of Igor Tudor, Spurs ensured that for at least a large portion of the game that the Gunners did not have things all their own way.

Eberechi Eze - Tottenham's newfound nemesis - opened the scoring but within 24 seconds of the restart Randal Kolo Muani had popped up with his very first Premier League goal.

Arsenal supporters thought this was another case of dropping points from a winning position but thankfully, on this occasion, Mikel Arteta's men had learnt their lesson.

The Spaniard's in-game managemant was far better, as was the performance of his charges who ultimately ended up coasting to a 4-1 victory with three goals coming in the second half.

Eze and Viktor Gyokeres, two maligned figures for much of the campaign, were the stars of the show, scoring two goals each. They certainly bailed out Declan Rice who had an interesting game, let's put it that way.

Declan Rice's moment to forget

Speaking in the build-up to this one, the midfielder revealed that the Arsenal players had a team meeting following that 2-2 draw with Wolves last Wednesday. He also issued a reminder, you cannot afford to lose games against Spurs.

Well, while Rice is often outspoken, the £105m signing didn't have his finest game in north London. That said, he still walked off the field at full-time having had a positive impact on the game as he and his teammates were able to bounce back from his mistake.

It's safe to say that the England international doesn't make many errors but he made a vital one that allowed the hosts back into the game.

After Eze had found the net, Rice gathered the Arsenal players and told them to concentrate and switch on. After all, they have dropped countless pointless from winning positions already this term and he was in no mood to see that happen again.

Sadly for the former West Ham man, it was he who made the blunder. Rice tried dribbling out of his own penalty area but was dispossessed. William Saliba didn't then get close enough to Kolo Muani who found the net just moments after Arsenal had initially taken the lead.

Fortunately for Rice, Eze and Gyokeres were able to dig his teammates out of a hole, but after that mistake, the midfielder did actually lead by example. Hopefully that's his one mistake for the season out of the way.

He certainly let Arteta down in the moment, but he wasn't the worst player on the visiting team this weekend.

Arsenal's biggest underperformer vs Spurs

When you win a big derby 4-1, there are not many negatives to pick out. Yet, the performance of winger Leandro Trossard must be highlighted for all the wrong reasons.

Truth be told, this has been an excellent season for Trossard to date. The Belgian has been one of the best left wingers in the Premier League, contributing seven goals and eight assists across all competitions.

However, the 31-year-old's recent form leaves something to be desired, having last found the net on 30th December 2025 in Arsenal's 4-1 win over Aston Villa.

Following that, it's been 13 long games since Trossard last scored a goal. During that run, he's also only picked up a solitary assist. For someone who usually demands so much of himself and his teammates, it's a dismal run of form and a surprising one at that considering how he'd started 2025/26.

While it's difficult to suggest the north London derby was the nadir of his season to date, it was a performance that raised question marks about the Belgium international's long-term place in Arteta's starting lineup.

Handed a 4/10 player rating, unlike his teammates in red and white, Trossard failed to really generate many goalscoring opportunities and cut a pretty isolated figure out on the left-hand side.

Perhaps what didn't help was the way in which Arteta profiled Gyokeres on Sunday. Arsenal have not played to the Swede's strengths this term but they certainly did at the weekend. How did they do that? Well, the centre-forward was incredibly keen to get into the left channel and it was from that position that he scored.

Operating in the left channel was bad news for Trossard who likes to cut inside from those areas. It was perhaps unsurprising, therefore, that on Gyokeres' best day for the club, the Belgian had one of his worst displays this season.

While the former Brighton man did produce four shots, he only generated an expected goals (xG) tally of 0.24. Furthermore, while Bukayo Saka and Eze generated four key passes, Trossard was severely lacking in that department.

He didn't manage a single key pass or cross on Sunday, while four dribbles he attempted went uncompleted.

Ahead of a busy time in the season, Arteta needs more from his experienced winger and it would not be a surprise if he was dropped for the clash against Chelsea next weekend.

Gabriel Martinelli doesn't feel like a viable option right now either so perhaps we may well see Eze fielded on the left, with Martin Odegaard operating from a more central area. With Trossard out of form, it's certainly worth a try.

Just four days ago, huge questions were asked of Arsenal. Mikel Arteta's side were dreadful as they slipped to a 2-2 draw away at Wolves.

How on earth had they dropped points there? Well, it was a rather difficult one to answer.

Therefore, as they headed across north London to take on bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, the Gunners had the perfect opportunity to respond.

Respond is exactly what they did, and in some style too. It was a day of glory for Arteta and Co as braces from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres got Arsenal across the line, winning 4-1.

Manchester City may well have a game in hand, but the difference between the two sides is back to five points. How quickly football can change, eh? After this emphatic result, any lingering concerns have evaporated once again.

How Eze and Gyokeres downed Spurs

Since signing for big money last summer, it's safe to say this has not been the easiest of rides for Eze and Gyokeres in Arsenal colours.

The former has floated in and out of the team and failed to really showcase why Arsenal paid around £67.5m to bring him to the Emirates Stadium from Crystal Palace. Likewise, Gyokeres has struggled. He's struggled to get into games and did not look like a centre forward capable of helping Arsenal win the Premier League title.

Yet, both now look ready at a crucial time to help power the Gunners to the league crown. This was perhaps Gyokeres' finest night in an Arsenal shirt and it was certainly Eze's best performance since that magical hat-trick the last time Arsenal faced Spurs.

There's something about a north London derby that ignites a fire in the England international and after rejecting the Lilywhites to sign for Arteta's side over the summer, it makes the two games with Spurs extra special.

While he did not score a hat-trick this time out, his performance was just as impactful, scoring twice and finding the net for the first time in the league since that trio of goals against their neighbours.

Since that clash at home against Spurs, the former Palace star has really struggled to make an impact but this was a timely reminder of why Andrea Berta brought him to the club. His first strike was a little messy but he opened the scoring from close range. There was nothing messy about the second. He exchanged passes with Gyokeres, fed Saka and then after the winger's effort was blocked, he fired home the rebound from inside the area.

Eze's performance was brilliant but the official man of the match was Gyokeres. Like his fellow summer signing, the striker has faced enormous criticism since moving to London. After the game against Wolves, he had registered zero shots on target in 60% of his league matches for Arsenal.

Well, he looked like a totally different player against a Spurs side who he completely bullied. Arteta described it as the Swede's best performance for the club post-game and it's hard to disagree with that. He took both of his goals brilliantly.

The first, supplied by Jurrien Timber, was rifled home with power and accuracy from the edge of the area and his second to close out the game was all about his strength. He outmuscled Archie Gray and then crashed the ball past Guglielmo Vicario.

Gyokeres looked classy in front of goal but it was his all-round play that pleased Arteta the most. He ran the channels and held the ball up immensely well for his teammates.

That said, they were not the only two to deliver exquisite performances in red and white.

£45m Arsenal star delivers his best display yet

Much of the acclaim will go to Eze and Gyokeres but there were a number of other faultless performers for Arteta's side. David Raya notably made a remarkable goal-line save to keep Arsenal's lead intact towards the end of the game while Bukayo Saka was back to his creative best on the right, supplying the first goal.

Special praise must also be reserved for Piero Hincapie who has had quite the week at left-back for Arsenal.

He scored his first goal for the club against Wolves in midweek but perhaps saved his finest performance since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for Spurs on Sunday.

Truth be told, the Ecuadorian has not always convinced following his big move but like Gyokeres, is now growing into a bigger role at Arsenal and looks like a particularly important player, particularly if Riccardo Calafiori's fitness issues are to continue.

Hincapie is a centre-back by trade but has filled in for Calafiori at left-back over the last week and has made a huge impact, notably against Spurs, where he dealt with Igor Tudor's attack with absolute ease.

During his time on the field, the 24-year-old was near perfect, amassing ten defensive contributions. He prevailed in as many as eight of his duels and won five of seven contested tackles.

The defender was the very definition of a monster but his efforts were not reserved just for defensive phases of play. As he did against Wolves a few days ago, Hincapie proved that he can offer a threat going forward, supplying three key passes and delivering two crosses. Only one of his 55 touches was unsuccessful too.

While the South American is only on loan at the moment, Arsenal have an option to buy him for £45m in the next transfer window. If he continues to deliver more performances like this between now and the end of May, it would be a no-brainer to make the move permanent.

The result against Wolves may not have gone Arsenal's way but it would be hard to disagree with the fact that this has been Hincapie's best week from an individual point of view since arriving from German shores.

Igor Tudor endured a nightmare = Premier League debut as Tottenham Hotspur boss as Arsenal ran rampant against their near neighbours on Sunday evening.

When Randal Kolo Muani equalised moments after Eberechi Eze bundled home the Gunners' opener, the mood inside the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium would have been one of optimism, as the Frenchman confidently finished off an opportunity after Declan Rice dilly-dallied with the ball.

Yet, the second half saw Mikel Arteta's away side batter their arch rivals 4-1, as Spurs now sit just four points off the top-flight drop zone off the back of such a demoralising defeat.

Very few white shirts could come off at the end of the disastrous loss pleased with their overall efforts, with Tudor given plenty of food for thought as to who he should select for crucial games to follow, as he grows quickly used to the pressures of the Spurs' hot-seat.

Why Spurs struggled so badly vs Arsenal

Arteta and Co have now won the last five fierce showdowns between the sworn North London enemies, as Arsenal sit five points clear at the top of the Premier League summit, while Spurs remain deep in a relegation battle.

Tudor will need his defence to tighten up in games to follow if they want to avoid an embarrassing drop down to the Championship, with the likes of Mickey van de Ven sticking out as a clear underperformer at the back, as Bukayo Saka ran rings around a leaky Spurs defence all match long.

Alongside the Dutchman cutting a frustrated figure, Archie Gray was also far too lightweight in such a vital contest, with the ex-Leeds United wonderkid winning just one of his six duels, alongside giving away possession a careless 16 times. He was also totally outmuscled for Viktor Gyokeres' final goal of the game but to his consolation, the Swede also did the same to the ever underperforming Radu Dragusin who had another night to forget in Spurs colours.

Truthfully, even as Conor Gallagher failed to make an impact again as a brand-new signing, Arsenal were just a cut above their rivals during a one-sided second half, with the aforementioned Gyokeres setting the tone for a comfortable victory for the Gunners when classily slotting home a fierce effort mere moments into the second 45 minutes.

As Sky Sports' Jamie Redknapp noted, it was a "complete mismatch" the more the clash dragged on. Dragusin and Gray were poor, and as a result, Tudor needs to make some key alterations immediately.

However, they were not the worst performers for the new manager.

Spurs' biggest underperformer vs Arsenal

Losing at home to Arsenal in such devastating fashion means Spurs' last win in the Premier League came all the way back in late December against Crystal Palace, with the new Tottenham boss very much having his work cut out for him to turn around the car crash unfolding.

A good starting spot to try and turn around this mess could well be to axe Xavi Simons, with the ex-RB Leipzig attacker way off his very best against Arteta's men, as the £52m splashed out on his services last summer continues to look like a reckless splurge of cash.

Simons does have five goal contributions next to his name for the season, with glimpses of his immense quality coming to the forefront here and there in London. Indeed, he picked up an assist against Manchester City earlier in the month where he also completed five dribbles and won 11 duels as a tricky livewire.

He was far easier to contain against Arsenal, though, as the lacklustre number seven only won one of his 15 duels on the night, among other alarming numbers from the disappointing contest.

Alongside feebly throwing himself about the cause, Simons gave away the ball away a reckless 24 times, failed to complete a single accurate dribble from four attempts, and also only registered one on-target effort at David Raya's goal.

This damning assessment of his performance could be enough for Tudor to consider dropping him for his lowly side's next league clash away at Fulham, with Dominic Solanke or Richarlison perhaps in the running for a starting spot in his place.

Despite such a worrying display during his first game in the hot seat, the brand new Spurs boss cut an assured figure at the full-time whistle.

Indeed, the ex-Juventus manager ruled out the potential of relegation confidently when speaking after the 4-1 defeat, even as the North Londoners continue to battle against the drop.

It will be intriguing to see what impact Tudor can have on the downtrodden group of players at his disposal, with Simons surely the first face to be benched if the Croat decides on a refreshed XI for the trip to Craven Cottage.