Eberechi Eze returned to the Arsenal starting lineup for Sunday’s North London Derby against Tottenham Hotspur, marking his first appearance in the fixture since scoring a hat-trick in the reverse encounter earlier this season. The change was one of two made by manager Mikel Arteta from the midweek match against Wolves, with Leandro Trossard also entering the starting eleven in place of Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli.
Declan Rice made his 100th Premier League appearance for Arsenal in the match, anchoring the midfield alongside Martin Zubimendi. The Gunners’ back four of Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, and Hincapie remained unchanged, while Bukayo Saka, recently having signed a fresh long-term contract, started on the wing. Viktor Gyokeres led the attack.
Martin Odegaard was named on the bench after recovering from a knee injury sustained against Brentford, but Ben White was absent due to a minor injury. Arteta confirmed that Kai Havertz, Mikel Merino, and Max Dowman also remained unavailable for selection. “We tried with Kai, it was too early unfortunately, but Martin is okay to play some minutes. Ben had a little niggle yesterday and he couldn’t make the game,” Arteta said.
Tottenham Hotspur entered the derby under new management, with Igor Tudor taking the helm after a run of eight Premier League games without a win under previous head coach Thomas Frank. Tudor made two changes to the side that lost to Newcastle United on February 10, bringing in Joao Palhinha and Randal Kolo Muani in place of Wilson Odobert and Dominic Solanke. Richarlison recovered from injury and was included among the substitutes.
The lineups were as follows:
Arsenal: Raya, Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie, Zubimendi, Rice, Eze, Saka, Trossard, Gyokeres. Substitutes: Arrizabalaga, Mosquera, Calafiori, Lewis-Skelly, Norgaard, Madueke, Martinelli, Odegaard, Jesus.
Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario, Gray, van de Ven, Dragusin, Palhinha, Spence, Bissouma, Sarr, Gallagher, Simons, Kolo Muani. Substitutes: Austin, Souza, Olusesi, Williams-Barnett, Rowswell, Tel, Richarlison, Solanke, Wilson.
Early in the match, Eberechi Eze put Arsenal ahead with a volley. But, Tottenham quickly responded, with Randal Kolo Muani equalizing just two minutes later after dispossessing Declan Rice on the edge of the box, according to reports. Viktor Gyokeres then restored Arsenal’s lead shortly after the restart, and Eze added another goal after a rebound from a Bukayo Saka shot. Gyokeres completed the scoring with a powerful finish in added time, securing a 4-1 victory for Arsenal.
The win moved Arsenal five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table, while Tottenham remained 16th, four points above the relegation zone.
