It has been another huge weekend for Arsenal. A fortnight after their surprise draw at Sunderland gave rivals fresh hope, Sunday’s resounding win over Tottenham put the Gunners firmly back in the hot seat.
Eberechi Eze, a Spurs summer target, was the hero, scoring his first senior hat-trick and the first in a north London derby since 1978 as Arsenal thrashed Tottenham 4-1 in an ominous display for the rest of the league. A day after champions Liverpool fell to a sixth loss in seven and Manchester City were beaten at Newcastle, Mikel Arteta’s men had no such problems and moved six points clear of second‑placed Chelsea.
This felt like a statement win against bitter rivals who had been unbeaten away all season. Even without Gabriel, Martin Ødegaard, Kai Havertz and Viktor Gyokores on the injury list, Arsenal dominated: 17 shots to Tottenham’s three, and the visitors finished with an expected goals (xG) of just 0.07. Richarlison’s stunning long-range chip was the only green shoot for Spurs.
“That is crazy. Special day, man. Special day for me, my family,” Eze told BBC Match of the Day. “I don’t think I could have ever dreamed of it. This is more special than that. I can only thank God… We were prepared for whatever set-up they were coming with because of the diligence of our staff. Huge credit to them, and of course the players in our team… I probably should have scored four. I’m always trying to score, always trying to take my chances. It’s important to be relentless.”
For boyhood Arsenal fan Eze the day was especially sweet. Released by Arsenal aged 13, and rejected by Fulham, Reading and Millwall before making his name at QPR, a 2015 tweet he posted — “I swear imma make it and when I do, they’re gonna show this tweet” — resurfaced on social media. Before the match Spurs manager Thomas Frank had joked “who?” when asked how close Eze was to signing for Tottenham; that remark came back to haunt him.
Eze joined Arsenal in a deal worth around £67m and is becoming a regular in Arteta’s side. Initially adapting from the role he had at Crystal Palace, he has started to deliver big moments: a key pass for Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time equaliser against City, the winner against Palace, and now a derby hat-trick. His unpredictability adds another edge to Arsenal’s forward line.
“He wanted to train,” Arteta said of Eze after England duty. “He wanted to come back and improve and ask questions. When you have such a talent and such intelligence and then you add that willingness to be better and practise, these things happen… I rate him one of the best in terms of talent. If we add in now his work‑rate, willingness to play for this team and the joy I sense when he is in the building we have a special player.”
No English player has been involved in more goals than Eze in the Premier League in 2025. Only Erling Haaland (25), Mohamed Salah (23), Bryan Mbeumo (21) and Antoine Semenyo (18) have been involved in more top‑flight goals than the Arsenal number 10 (18 — 10 goals, eight assists). Former Palace striker Clinton Morrison called him “best player on the pitch” and said “this is where his Arsenal career takes off.”
There are, of course, 26 games left for each team. A six‑point lead at this stage is not insurmountable — Arsenal have been top after 12 matches four previous times and failed to win the title on the last three occasions. But this is their biggest lead at this stage in a Premier League season, and historically no team has failed to win the title after holding a six‑point or greater advantage following 12 games. That stat can be misleading — teams have come from further back to win the league — but only five times has a side been six or more points behind leaders after 12 games and still gone on to win the title, the most recent being City in 2013–14.
Chelsea, in second, must be considered challengers after winning five of their last six league matches and putting together three straight clean-sheet wins for the first time since 2022. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace, two and three points behind Chelsea respectively, will also fancy their chances. Liverpool, now 11 points adrift, face a historically steep task; no team has overcome such a deficit in Premier League history.
Arsenal supporters may have worried about the absence of Gabriel. The Brazilian had anchored an excellent defensive start to the season, leading in aerial duels and clearances and making the joint second‑highest number of blocks in the league. Last season Arsenal won only four of 12 league matches when Gabriel and William Saliba did not start together. Yet summer spending of around £250m and eight new signings has added quality and depth, reducing the impact of any individual absence.
One new arrival, Hincapie, has joined on loan from Bayer Leverkusen with a £52m option to make the deal permanent. Arteta has praised him as a “warrior.” Hincapie, a Bundesliga winner who can also operate at left‑back, gives Arteta options and helps ensure there is no significant drop in quality if Saliba or Gabriel are unavailable.
Eze’s derby heroics will reverberate through the season. Arsenal now have momentum, squad depth, and a squad that looks capable of coping with injuries. Whether any side can mount a sustained challenge remains to be seen, but for now the Gunners are sitting pretty at the top.
