Arsenal delivered a huge statement in the Premier League title race this afternoon, hammering Spurs 4-1 at the Emirates as Eberechi Eze produced a sensational hat-trick to send Mikel Arteta’s side six points clear at the top.

In a North London Derby, that felt like it carried serious significance, Arsenal were ruthless, energetic and utterly dominant in the key moments. Leandro Trossard opened the scoring in the 36th minute after a slick move, but the afternoon belonged to Eze.

The England international struck twice in the first half to put Arsenal firmly in control, and despite an outrageous long-range goal from Richarlison in the 55th minute to make it 3-1, Eze killed any hope of a Spurs comeback with his third, a composed finish in the 76th minute that sent the Emirates into full celebration.

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Eberechi Eze admitted “words could not explain” what it meant to become the first Arsenal player in over 50 years to score a North London derby hat-trick.

Jamie Carragher Makes Very Honest Admission About Arsenal’s North London Derby Hattrick Hero

In the Sky Sports studio, Les Ferdinand criticised Thomas Frank’s approach, saying Spurs were “too negative” and were “so bad Arsenal didn’t have to get out of third gear.” Jamie Carragher went even further, holding his hands up over his pre-season doubts about the Eze signing:

I thought that’s OK, maybe he’s not a game changer. We see some of his highlights this season and then he goes and scores a hat-trick, so apologies. I certainly under valued the importance of that signing because he looks like he could make the real difference for Arsenal this season and going on to win the title.

For Arsenal, this was everything they had been criticised for lacking in previous title pushes: composure, aggression, and clinical quality in one of the biggest fixtures on their calendar.

With the victory pushing them six points clear, Mikel Arteta’s side are now chasing their first league title since the iconic Invincibles campaign of 2003/04.

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