A 'special Day' For Eze - But Can Anyone Challenge Arsenal For Title?

It has been different immense play for Arsenal.

A fortnight aft nan Gunners' astonishment tie astatine Sunderland gave their Premier League title rivals caller hope, Sunday's resounding triumph complete Tottenham has put them firmly backmost successful nan basking seat.

Eberechi Eze, a Spurs summertime target, was nan hero, scoring his first hat-trick successful elder shot and nan first successful a northbound London derby since 1978 arsenic Arsenal thrashed Tottenham 4-1 successful an ominous show for nan remainder of nan Premier League.

A time aft defending champions Liverpool mislaid a sixth of their past 7 matches and closest rivals Manchester City were beaten astatine Newcastle, Mikel Arteta's men had nary specified problems to move six points clear of second-placed Chelsea.

And this felt for illustration a connection triumph against their bitter rivals - who went into nan crippled unbeaten distant from location each play - particularly going into nan crippled pinch Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, Viktor Gyokores connected nan wounded list.

Taking distant Richarlison's unbelievable spot from region to gain nan visitors a consolation goal, location was only ever 1 victor successful arsenic one-sided a northbound London derby arsenic you tin get.

Arsenal had 17 shots compared to Tottenham's three, pinch nan visitors ending pinch an expected goals (xG) of conscionable 0.07.

"That is crazy. Special day, man. Special time for me, my family," Eze told BBC Match of nan Day.

"I don't deliberation I could person ever dreamt of it. This is much typical than that. I tin only convey god.

"We were prepared for immoderate set-up they were coming pinch because of nan diligence of our staff. Huge in installments to them, and of people nan players successful our squad - nan ability, nan talent. From immoderate angle, we're threatening to people goals.

"I astir apt should person scored four. I'm ever trying to score, ever trying to return my chances. It's important to beryllium relentless."

What a time it turned retired to beryllium for boyhood Arsenal instrumentality Eze.

Before nan lucifer Tottenham head Thomas Frank joked "who?" erstwhile questioned astir really adjacent Eze was to becoming a Spurs subordinate successful nan summer. Those words surely came backmost to haunt him.

A first elder hat-trick is simply a large landmark successful itself, fto unsocial a first treble successful Premier League northbound London derby history.

Eze signed for Arsenal successful a woody worthy £67m and is starting to cement himself arsenic 1 of nan first names connected nan teamsheet for head Mikel Arteta.

When he signed for nan Gunners location were questions astir wherever he would fresh into nan broadside but, aft an wounded to skipper Odegaard, Eze has taken his opportunity pinch some hands.

The 27-year-old has taken clip to settee arsenic he sewage utilized to a different domiciled successful this Arsenal squad than nan 1 he was utilized to astatine Crystal Palace, but he has already started to present large moments.

He provided an fantabulous walk for Gabriel Martinelli's stoppage-time equaliser against City, scored nan victor against Palace and now has a first elder hat-trick against rivals Tottenham.

Eze provides thing different to nan remainder of nan Arsenal forwards and his unpredictability adds different separator to Arsenal's guardant line.

The Gunners person different 2 large games coming up, pinch matches against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, but Eze will relish nan situation fixed nan shape he is now in.

"That's him. He had 2 days disconnected aft nan England campy and aft time 1 he wanted to train," Arteta said.

"He wanted to travel backmost and amended and inquire questions. When you person specified a talent and specified an intelligence and past you adhd that willingness to beryllium amended and practise, these things happen."

No English subordinate has been progressive successful much goals that Eze successful 2025 successful nan Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (25), Mohamed Salah (23), Bryan Mbeumo (21) and Antoine Semenyo (18) been progressive successful much Premier League goals than nan Arsenal number 10 (18 - 10 goals, 8 assists).

"I cognize really overmuch this move from Crystal Palace meant to him and what a capacity from him. Best subordinate connected nan pitch," erstwhile Crystal Palace guardant Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live.

"This is wherever his Arsenal profession takes off."

Yes, location are still 26 games near to play for each squad this season, we perceive you say.

So a six-point lead astatine this constituent is surely acold from unsurmountable? Correct, but nan stats propose Arsenal's lead is reasonably significant.

This is nan 5th clip Arsenal person been apical of nan Premier League aft 12 matches but - look distant now, Arsenal fans - they person grounded to spell connected and triumph nan title nan past 3 times they person led nan measurement astatine this stage.

However, this is nan biggest lead they person had astatine this shape of a Premier League campaign.

And it gets moreover better, Gunners fans. No squad has grounded to triumph nan title pinch a lead of six points aliases much aft 12 games of a Premier League season.

That stat is simply a spot misleading, though, arsenic teams person travel from further backmost to triumph nan title.

So nan much pertinent mobility is really galore times person teams been six aliases much points down nan leaders aft 12 games and still been crowned champions?

It still looks beautiful patient for Arsenal, pinch nan reply being conscionable 5 times - nan astir caller being successful 2013-14 erstwhile City were six points down leaders Arsenal.

Chelsea person to beryllium considered title challengers now they are sitting successful 2nd spot.

They person won 5 of their past six convention games, winning 3 successive convention matches without conceding for nan first clip since 2022.

Aston Villa and Palace, 2 and 3 points down Chelsea respectively, will besides see themselves challengers.

With Liverpool now 11 points down Arsenal, Arne Slot's men would person to do thing nary squad has done successful Premier League history to travel backmost and triumph nan title.

Only 2 teams person travel backmost from City's existent seven-point shortage to triumph nan league.

Arsenal fans would person been worried going into nan northbound London derby without arguably their champion centre-back, Gabriel.

The Brazilian had been an ever-present successful Arsenal's incredibly beardown protect commencement to nan season, starring nan measurement successful aerial duals and clearances and making nan associated 2nd highest number of blocks successful nan league.

Last play Arsenal won only 4 of their 12 convention matches erstwhile Gabriel and William Saliba did not commencement together.

But this appears to beryllium a different Arsenal aft a summertime erstwhile they spent £250m and brought successful 8 players arsenic they aimed to summation their squad extent pinch value players.

One of those who played connected Sunday was Piero Hincapie, who came successful for Gabriel.

The defender has joined connected indebtedness from Bayer Leverkusen, pinch a £52m action to make nan woody permanent, and is simply a favourite of Arteta, who called him a "warrior".

Hincapie is simply a Bundesliga victor and tin besides play astatine left-back, giving Arteta options while ensuring location is not a drop-off successful value if Saliba aliases Gabriel are unavailable.