‘To dare is to do’ screams the Tottenham Hotspur motto.
This was more like to scare than to dare as Eberechi Eze made Thomas Frank pay for his negative tactics to send rampant Arsenal six points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Eberechi Eze celebrates scoring for Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur
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A stunning hat-trick from Eze saw Arsenal run riot on their rivalsCredit: Getty
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank
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Frank's tactics for the game must be questioned, thoughCredit: Getty
Frank promised in the build-up to this 198th north London derby that he would not come and play for a 0-0, so his decision to play with a back five for only the second time this season was a real head-scratcher.
It was even more baffling given Arsenal did not have a fit forward to the lead the line.
For the first 30-odd minutes Frank’s rear-guard action just about managed to keep the striker-less Gunners at bay, but it was always going to be a matter of time before the leaders put their bitter rivals to the sword.
By the time Eze had made it 3-0 in the first few seconds of the second half, lifeless Spurs had not mustered a single shot on or off target.
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The body language among the bulk of Frank’s players suggested they had no belief in the system and even after Richarlison reduced the deficit with an incredible 45-yard the visitors XG stood at a pitiful 0.02.
That incredible effort will not be enough to shield Frank from the critics among the Spurs faithful who claim his pragmatic approach is the wrong fit.
The fact hat-trick hero Eze, who turned his back on a potential move to last season’s Europa League winners to join their neighbours, was their main tormentor only rubbed salt into Spurs’ wounds.
With Viktor Gyokeres joining Arsenal’s lengthy list of injury absentees, Eze and Mikel Merino took it in turns to take on the role of false no.9 and revelled in the freedom they were given by Spurs’ over-stocked defence.
The England World Cup hopeful set the tone for a man-of-the-match performance as early as the third minute, cleverly dinking the ball over the top of the Spurs defence for Declan Rice to unleash a volley well-saved by Vicario.
That was the only time the Spurs goalkeeper was called into meaningful action before Leandro Trossard popped up with yet another crucial goal to open the floodgates nine minutes before half-time.
Leandro Trossard opens scoring for Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur
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It took 36 minutes for Arsenal to break down their north London rivalsCredit: Getty
Arsenal player Eberechi Eze celebrates goal against Tottenham Hotspur
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And then Eze joined the partyCredit: Getty
Richarlison scores goal against Arsenal
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Richarlison scored an incredible goal from 45 yards out but it counted for nothing from a Spurs perspectiveCredit: Getty
From there it was all about Eze, who five minutes later doubled the lead with a mazy run and fine finish Frank simply had to react at half-time and brought on Xavi Simons for Kevin Danso and reverted to a more conventional set-up.
Simons had been on the pitch less than a minute when Eze added his second with another perfectly-placed effort from just inside the penalty area.
Eze’s third goal, a stunning right foot curler after being teed up by Jurrien Timber, was the spark of a mass exodus by travelling Spurs fans and he would have had four but for a superb save from Vicario soon after.
It is now 15 years and counting since those long-suffering supporters saw their team win on enemy soil, and there have been few more humiliating or gutless losses than this one.
No wonder Eze chose Arsenal!
Tottenham Hotspur head coach Thomas Frank
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This is Frank's fourth league defeat as Spurs bossCredit: Getty