Arsenal reasserted their Premier League title credentials with a comprehensive 4-1 demolition of Tottenham at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium this evening.
Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both found the net twice as Mikel Arteta’s side delivered a statement performance against their north London rivals.
The victory extends the Gunners’ advantage at the summit to five points over Manchester City, who do hold a match in hand following their win against Newcastle on Saturday.
Eze broke the deadlock on 32 minutes when he hooked the ball home from close range following good work from Bukayo Saka on the right flank.
Viktor Gyokeres scored twice in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Tottenham
|REUTERS
The hosts responded almost immediately, however, as Randal Kolo Muani capitalised on a costly error from Declan Rice just 24 seconds after the restart, dispossessing the midfielder before firing past David Raya.
Any hopes of a Spurs fightback were swiftly extinguished after the interval when Gyokeres produced a magnificent curling effort from 20 yards just two minutes into the second period.
The Swedish striker’s finish restored Arsenal’s advantage and proved the decisive blow.
Eze’s brace took his remarkable tally against Tottenham to five goals this campaign alone, having previously netted a hat-trick in the reverse fixture at the Emirates back in November.
The playmaker’s performance carried particular significance given Spurs were reportedly favourites to secure his signature from Crystal Palace last summer before he opted to join their bitter rivals instead.
Eberechi Eze scored twice against Tottenham, taking his total tally to five against Spurs alone
|REUTERS
His second goal arrived shortly after the hour mark, sweeping home after Micky van de Ven had initially blocked Saka’s effort.
The strike came moments after Kolo Muani thought he had equalised at 2-2, only for referee Peter Bankes to disallow the goal for a push on Gabriel.
Tottenham’s misery deepened as they slumped to 16th position in the table, sitting a mere four points above the relegation zone in what proved a chastening debut for interim manager Igor Tudor.
It was also Tottenham’s worst north London derby defeat at home since 1978.
The Croatian’s first match in English football could scarcely have gone worse, with his side managing just one genuine opportunity throughout the opening 45 minutes despite the hosts’ brief equaliser.
Gyokeres added further gloss to the scoreline in stoppage time, powering through the Spurs defence to complete his brace.
Arsenal’s travelling supporters rubbed salt in the wounds, serenading their rivals with chants of “going down” and “we’ll never play you again” as the final whistle approached.