Arsenal moved six points clear at the top of the Premier League table on Sunday, courtesy of a 4–1 victory in the north London derby inspired by Eberechi Eze.
The man who came so close to joining Tottenham Hotspur in the summer scored just the fourth hat-trick in this fixture’s long history after Leandro Trossard opened the scoring.
Their visitors remain without a league win at the Emirates since 2010, and Thomas Frank may well have lost the faith of some Tottenham supporters, given the nature of their display here. Richarlison’s stunning finish was the only highlight on what was a bleak day for the Lilywhites.
But for Arsenal: bliss. They’re cruising at the summit, and this was the performance of champions.
Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Tottenham (4-2-3-1)
GK: David Raya—6.2: It typically takes something special to beat the Arsenal goalkeeper, and Richarlison’s strike was exactly that.
RB: Jurriën Timber—7.4: Sturdy as ever down the right, and his third-man runs upfield were a constant nuisance.
CB: William Saliba—6.8: Wasn’t a particularly busy outing for Saliba, who somehow failed to score from a set-piece at 3–1.
CB: Piero Hincapié—7.1: Excellent in Gabriel’s absence. Aggressive throughout and effective one-on-one against Richarlison.
LB: Riccardo Calafiori—7,2: Positioning high in the left half-space troubled Kevin Danso in the opening period, but there were a couple of sloppy technical errors.
DM: Martín Zubimendi—6.1: Probably wasn’t his most efficient outing, but he was diligent defensively when tracking runners. Dispossessed in the buildup to Spurs’ goal.
DM: Declan Rice—8.2: Booking late on was a blemish on a controlled Rice performance. Wicked set-piece delivery wasn’t required.
AM: Eberechi Eze—9.7: It’s fair to say that Thomas Frank knows who Eberechi Eze is now.
RW: Bukayo Saka—7.6: He’s not going to steal the headlines, but Saka was quietly brilliant.
ST: Mikel Merino—7.5: The facilitator was effective again in a centre forward position, creating overloads in midfield. Lovely pass led to the opening goal.
LW: Leandro Trossard—8.3: Followed up his thunderous strike against Sunderland with a clever finish to open the scoring. Has a knack for turning up in this fixture.
Subs not used: Kepa Arrizabalaga (GK), Ben White, Christian Nørgaard, Max Dowman, Gabriel Martinelli.
Tottenham (3-4-2-1)
Starting XI: Guglielmo Vicario; Kevin Danso, Cristian Romero, Micky van de Ven; Djed Spence, Rodrigo Bentancur, João Palhinha, Destiny Udogie; Mohammed Kudus, Wilson Odobert; Richarlison.
Subs used: Xavi Simons, Pape Matar Sarr, Randal Kolo Muani, Brennan Johnson, Pedro Porro.
Arsenal 4–1 Tottenham—How It Unfolded at the Emirates
The players were welcomed by an ebullient Emirates atmosphere on derby day, with the hosts somewhat atoning for their miserable tifo attempt against Paris Saint-Germain last season by producing a considerably more impressive effort here.
Mikel Arteta opted for just a single change from the 2–2 draw at Sunderland before the break, as Piero Hincapié came in for his first Premier League start, replacing the injured Gabriel. Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke were also fit for the bench after spells out.
The hosts almost got off to the perfect start when Declan Rice latched onto Eberechi Eze’s cute scoop, but the midfielder’s volley was rebounded to safety by Guglielmo Vicario. Spurs’ gameplan then kicked in, with Arsenal struggling for momentum against a side that had little interest in using the ball.
Set-piece battling. pic.twitter.com/qffCbz2RPS
— Sports Illustrated FC (@SI_FootballClub) November 23, 2025
The Gunners monpolised possession and territory, but failed to work Vicario from open play. The Italian was forced into a smart stop to deny a Bukayo Saka free-kick from breaking the deadlock.
However, a slick sequence from the hosts broke the contest open. Mikel Merino’s wonderful pass in behind found a clever Leandro Trossard run, and, on the spin with the help of a deflection, the Belgian opened the scoring, compromising Thomas Frank’s evil scheme. Arsenal were rampant in the immediate aftermath, adding a second through Eze amid scenes of jubilation in N5.
That’s the playmaker Tottenham could’ve won.
Xavi Simons’s half-time introduction signalled a change in tack from the visitors, but Eze’s second goal of the contest inside the first minute of the restart ruined Spurs’ hopes of a 2010-like revival, when they previously won a Premier League game on this ground.
Arsenal were heading towards utopia, but Richarlison’s outstanding finish from distance, which satisfyingly sailed over David Raya, offered the visitors a lifeline. For the first time in the contest, Spurs had a foothold, but there was no real sense that they would stage a stunning comeback.
The perfect afternoon was capped off by Eze’s hat-trick, with the Englishman firing past Vicario with a crisp right-footed effort from just inside the area. From then on, Arsenal sauntered to the derby’s conclusion, as a sparse away end watched on while the “olés” rang out in the home end.
Arsenal vs. Tottenham Half-Time Stats
Arsenal vs. Tottenham Full Time Stats
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Arsenal Player Ratings vs. Tottenham: Spurs Punished for Summer Failings on Derby Day.
