Eberechi Eze scored the first-ever North London derby Premier League hat-trick as Arsenal made extremely light work of a timid Tottenham Hotspur in a 4-1 win at the Emirates.
Lining up with five defenders and a midfield pair of Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, Spurs unsurprisingly sat deep and tried to slow down the game from the off, but Thomas Frank's formula failed towards the end of the first half.
A sublime Mikel Merino pass and deflected Leandro Trossard finish deservedly gave the hosts the lead, shortly before Eze doubled the Gunners' advantage with a ferocious low finish.
Frank bit the bullet at half time, bringing on Eze's opposite number Xavi Simons for Kevin Danso as Spurs switched to four at the back, but disaster struck for the visitors just 35 seconds after the restart as Eze slotted home his second.
A freak Richarlison strike suddenly gave Tottenham a glimmer of hope, but that hope was extinguished by the electrifying Eze, who completed his outrageous hat-trick in the final 15 minutes.
Thanks to Manchester City's slip-up on Saturday, Mikel Arteta's men are now six points clear at the summit of the Premier League table, while Thomas Frank's side remain eighth, now 11 points below their bitter adversaries.
SPORTS MOLE'S VERDICT
Arsenal's Leandro Trossard celebrates scoring on November 23, 2025
Champions in waiting.
During what Arsenal fans know as the 'banter era', that Richarlison goal would have triggered serious concern among the Emirates faithful. But this Gunners are made of tough stuff. Very tough stuff.
There should not have been a shred of worry from any Gooner when they lost their side lost their clean sheet today, thanks to both their hardened shell and Spurs' extremely tepid performance, one in which the Brazilian's wonder strike just papered over the cracks.
Eze will get the headlines, and rightly so after scoring just the fourth-ever North London derby hat-trick, but today was also about Arsenal as a collective. And had it not been for one lapse in concentration, Spurs would not have laid any sort of glove on them.
One cannot help but feel for Frank, who was lambasted for going overly defensive today but would have surely also been slammed had he gone with a more attacking lineup and lost by the same scoreline. The truth is, Arsenal are just on a different level entirely.
North London is red, and at this rate, the ribbons on the Premier League trophy will be too.
ARSENAL VS. TOTTENHAM HIGHLIGHTS
Leandro Trossard goal vs. Tottenham (36th min, Arsenal 1-0 Tottenham)
The pass from Mikel Merino, the finish from Leandro Trossard! ? pic.twitter.com/CfWb1Ma5la
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 23, 2025
And Tottenham's game plan is in tatters!
Arsenal work it patiently in the final third again, until Merino picks out the run of Trossard with a wonderful clipped ball over the Spurs defence.
Destiny Udogie is playing the Belgian inside, he swivels and gets his shot away, which deflects off of Micky van de Ven and nestles into the far side of the net.
Eberechi Eze goal vs. Tottenham (41st min, Arsenal 2-0 Tottenham)
Arsenal are FLYING!
Eze doubles their advantage on derby day! ? pic.twitter.com/YbS8SSQ9Yd
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 23, 2025
Written. In. The. Stars.
No red and white shirt is in the box to meet Jurrien Timber's cross, but Kevin Danso's headed clearance, only falls as far as Declan Rice, who immediately feeds Eze in space just outside the box.
The playmaker - who snubbed a Tottenham transfer in the summer - jinks his way past Bentancur and Palhinha and lets fly with a powerful strike, which flies through a sea of bodies and into the back of the net.
A couple of Arsenal men were standing in Guglielmo Vicario's line of sight in an offside position, but the goal stands.
Eberechi Eze goal vs. Tottenham (46th min, Arsenal 3-0 Tottenham)
EBERE EZE!
What a finish! ? pic.twitter.com/VcRYuOPTU2
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 23, 2025
It is Eze's world, and we are just living in it.
Again, the Englishman is criminally gifted so much space in a central area and coolly tucks away his second of the day after being teed up by Timber, who admittedly got a bit of good fortune when his first pass ricocheted straight back to him off of Bentancur.
Richarlison goal vs. Arsenal (55th min, Arsenal 3-1 Tottenham)
Richarlison WOW!
Can Spurs find a way back? ? pic.twitter.com/B3YDMjl7pm
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 23, 2025
Wow. Did that just happen?
Martin Zubimendi gets complacent and is robbed of possession by Palhinha, whose tackle falls immediately at the feet of Richarlison some 40 yards from goal.
The Brazilian spots David Raya off his line and wastes no time in going for the spectacular, which he pulls off with a phenomenal long-range strike.
They could not, could they?
Eberechi Eze goal vs. Tottenham (76th min, Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham)
It's a North London derby hat-trick for Ebere Eze! ? pic.twitter.com/Hzr9hb5iaQ
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 23, 2025
They could not. But Eze can.
Same old story for Spurs, conceding far too much time and space to the 27-year-old, who curls home a delightful third from 18 yards after capitalising on a Destiny Udogie slip.
MAN OF THE MATCH - EBERECHI EZE
Arsenal's Eberechi Eze celebrates on November 23, 2025
Possibly the easiest man of the match prize we will award this season.
Only three other men have scored a hat-trick in the North London derby, and none since 1978, but the effervescent Eze showed Tottenham exactly what they missed out on with three fine finishes at his new home.
He looked in disbelief when he was first presented to the Emirates crowd, and he looked in disbelief again today. Even some of the neutrals surely had to smile at that one.
ARSENAL VS. TOTTENHAM MATCH STATS
Possession: Arsenal 57%-43% Tottenham
Shots: Arsenal 17-3 Tottenham
Shots on target: Arsenal 8-2 Tottenham
Corners: Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham
Fouls: Arsenal 11-15 Tottenham
BEST STATS
400 - Eberechi Eze has scored the 400th hat-trick in Premier League history. He's the 23rd player to score one for @Arsenal, with no side having more different hat-trick scorers in the competition. Magic. #ARSTOT pic.twitter.com/Tu4oYKV50B
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 23, 2025
3 - Eberechi Eze has scored the fourth ever hat-trick in competitive meetings between Arsenal and Spurs, after Ted Drake (Arsenal, October 1934), Terry Dyson (Spurs, August 1961) and Alan Sunderland (Arsenal, December 1978). Trebles. pic.twitter.com/p8r4UPRkOx
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) November 23, 2025
Eberechi Eze is the first Englishman to score in his first North London Derby in the league for Arsenal since Ian Wright and Kevin Campbell in 1991.
He now has more Premier League goal involvements against Tottenham than any other opponent (4G 1A). ? pic.twitter.com/UADa2wskby
— Squawka (@Squawka) November 23, 2025
Eberechi Eze is the first Arsenal player to score a Premier League brace against Tottenham since Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang in December 2018. ?#ARSTOT pic.twitter.com/LKm9gPfU8w
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 23, 2025
Richarlison's 35.3 yard strike is the furthest on record (since 2006/07) scored in a Premier League North London Derby after David Bentley in October 2008 (35.7 yards). ? pic.twitter.com/jvR25QMxoj
— Squawka Live (@Squawka_Live) November 23, 2025
WHAT NEXT?
Both Arsenal and Spurs are involved in Champions League blockbusters on Wednesday evening, when the Gunners welcome Bayern Munich to the Emirates while the Lilywhites face holders Paris Saint-Germain at the Parc des Princes.
Arteta's men then have another daunting Premier League London derby on the menu against Chelsea next Sunday, the day after Frank's side host Fulham in their latest all-capital clash.
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