Eberechi Eze once again decided the North London derby, scoring twice as Arsenal thrashed Tottenham 4-1 away from home.
From the outset Mikel Arteta’s side imposed themselves in hostile territory. Tottenham retreated into a compact block and rarely escaped it; by the half-hour they had managed just 27% possession and a single shot.
The pressure finally told in the 32nd minute. Saka beat his marker near the byline and squared to Eze, who adjusted his feet and volleyed from close range to give Arsenal the lead.
Tottenham responded almost immediately. Declan Rice, dropping deep to assist the defence, attempted to turn away from pressure but lost possession to Randal Kolo Muani, who cut inside and fired past David Raya for 1-1 within two minutes. It was Spurs’ only real attacking moment of the first half.
Minutes after the restart, Timber’s pass reached Viktor Gyokeres on the edge of the area and, aided by Eze’s dummy run distracting the defence, he curled a precise finish beyond Guglielmo Vicario to restore Arsenal’s lead.
Tottenham thought they had equalised again when Kolo Muani bundled home from close range, but a push on Gabriel was penalised after review.
The reprieve effectively ended the contest. On the hour, Eze followed up a loose ball after Saka drew the goalkeeper and calmly finished into the open net for 3-1.
From there Arsenal controlled the tempo, moving Spurs side to side while limiting counter-attacks to isolated moments.
Raya preserved the margin with a goal-line clearance from a back-heel effort, but Tottenham’s threat faded.
Deep into stoppage time Martin Odegaard threaded a pass through the defensive line and Gyokeres drove a rising shot into the top corner to complete the scoring.
The result restores Arsenal’s five-point advantage at the top of the table and eases some pressure. Next up they welcome Chelsea to the Emirates in another huge game.
