Eze's Hat-Trick Turns North London Derby Into Target Practice

Incontournable Score Futmetrix: 91/100. Eberechi Eze's three goals and a relentless attacking barrage make this a clinic in clinical finishing, even if the Balance tilts so far Arsenal's way the drama evaporates by halftime.

When One Team Shows Up and the Other Doesn't

The North London Derby promised Stakes befitting rivals separated by eleven points and radically different seasons. Arsenal arrived as the Premier League's runaway leaders; Tottenham limped in on a form crisis (one win in five). What unfolded was less rivalry, more reckoning.

Leandro Trossard struck first in the 36th minute, assisted by Mikel Merino. Two minutes later, Eze doubled the lead from Declan Rice's pass. By the 46th minute—the moment Eze completed his first-half brace off Jurriën Timber's cross—the contest had transformed into a one-sided Intensity exercise. Three goals in ten minutes. Arsenal's Upset probability had never existed; their attacking Balance rendered Tottenham's midfield irrelevant.

Richarlison's 55th-minute reply briefly interrupted the narrative. It proved cosmetic. Eze's 76th-minute hat-trick, assisted by Trossard, sealed a demolition that the underlying numbers confirm: Arsenal mustered 17 shots to Tottenham's 3, a 5.7:1 siege ratio that left Spurs' goalkeeper with nothing but damage control and regret.

The Stakes here transcended points. This was Arsenal—unbeaten, clinical, commanding—announcing their title credentials against a rival drowning in inconsistency. Tottenham's defensive structure collapsed under Arsenal's pressing intensity. Possession (57% to 43%) masked the gulf: Arsenal's 81% pass accuracy and 12 shots inside the box told the real story of a team operating on another plane.

Eze's performance—a perfect 10.0 rating—wasn't just about the hat-trick. It was about positioning, movement, and the kind of ruthless finishing that separates contenders from pretenders. Trossard (7.9) added goal and assist. Rice (7.6) orchestrated from midfield with three key passes. Arsenal's system functioned as designed. Tottenham's system functioned as chaos.

The Balance never shifted back. Once Arsenal seized control in the 36th minute, the only question was margin, not outcome. In a derby defined by Stakes and pride, Arsenal's surgical efficiency turned it into a statement. Tottenham's season continues its downward spiral; Arsenal's relentless march toward the title resumes unabated.