Eberechi Eze was Tottenham Hotspur’s tormentor again as Arsenal made a title statement of intent by restoring their lead at the top of the Premier League table to five points with victory in the north London derby.
The pressure was on Arsenal after they lost a two-goal lead at relegation certainties Wolverhampton Wanderers in midweek, while Manchester City closed the gap with victory over Newcastle United on Saturday evening.
Spurs had high hopes of turning up the heat further in interim manager Igor Tudor’s first game in charge, but Arsenal simply possessed too much class and threat for their struggling arch-rivals.
And Eze, who scored a hat-trick in Arsenal’s 4-1 derby win in November, was The Gunners’ spearhead again with goals either side of the interval.
Eze, who was on the point of joining Spurs when Arsenal clinched a £60m deal with Crystal Palace in August, put Arsenal in front from close-range after 32 minutes.
Randal Kolo Muani produced a fine solo effort for Spurs’ equaliser two minutes later, only for the much-maligned Viktor Gyokores to restore Arsenal’s advantage with a clinical 20-yard finish with his right foot just after half-time.
Unlike at Wolves, where Arsenal sat on their lead with catastrophic results, Mikel Arteta’s pace-setters continued to press, adding the third after 61 minutes when Eze picked up a loose ball in the area to sweep a finish past Spurs keeper Guglielmo Vicario.
Spurs had no answer as Arsenal remained in control, Gyokores outmuscling Archie Gray to score his second in the closing moments of stoppage time to seal an emphatic win.
