Eze Shines as Arsenal Dominate Tottenham in North London Derby
Arsenal secured a commanding 4-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, fueled by a sensational hat-trick from Eze in his first North London derby appearance. The win propelled Arsenal six points clear at the top of the Premier League table, though manager Mikel Arteta cautioned against reading too much into the margin.
Eze’s performance drew high praise from Arteta, who highlighted the player’s dedication. “Things happen for a reason,” Arteta stated. “After the international duty, he had two days off, and after one day he wanted to train… he was asking me questions about this and that. And when a player has such a talent, and his desire is at that level, then these things happen. He fully deserves it.” Arteta emphasized Eze’s positive impact on the team since his arrival, describing him as bringing “something else… a joy, it’s an aura that this team needed.” He believes Eze’s performance will boost both his and the team’s confidence, demonstrating his ability to “win us a game.”
Despite the cozy scoreline, Arteta downplayed the significance of Arsenal’s six-point lead. “In this league? Not much,” he said. “We are doing really well.We’ve been really consistent, and that’s it. …the difference in the scoreline and actually what happens in games is really small.” Arteta also noted the team is still battling injuries,welcoming Noni Madueke back to the pitch after a September knee injury,but stressing the need for further reinforcements. “We need players back immediately today… we’re still missing a lot of important players and we’re going to need all of them.”
Tottenham manager Thomas Frank was visibly frustrated with his team’s performance.”Where should I start? This is, of course, hugely disappointing that we didn’t perform better in the game against Arsenal, our biggest rivals. I can onyl apologise to the fans for that,” he said. Frank admitted he had been confident heading into the match, aiming for an aggressive, high-pressing approach, but acknowledged it failed to materialize. “We didn’t succeed with that bit… we got pushed back and got a little too passive.” he added that when Tottenham did gain possession, they were “not good enough to get out of those situations.”
Frank conceded Arsenal are further along in their development, stating, “they are definitely six years down the line and we are four months down the line,” but still expected more from his team, comparing their performance unfavorably to previous matches against Manchester City and PSG.
Addressing concerns about Tottenham’s lack of creativity – they have the third-lowest expected goals figure in the Premier League - Frank acknowledged it was an issue. “It is, of course. We are working very hard to try to make that better,” he said, but also pointed to missed opportunities to win possession and capitalize on open space.”For me the creativity… was not my biggest concern today.”
What’s Next:
* Arsenal: Host Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday, November 26 at 8pm UK (3pm ET).
* Tottenham: Travel to Paris Saint-Germain for a Champions League clash on Wednesday, November 26 at 8pm UK (3pm ET).
