Three things we learned from Arsenal win as Eberechi Eze runs derby but familiar weakness strikes again

Mikel Arteta told his Arsenal players before the match to ignore the noise, but there was plenty of it coming from outside on a dream afternoon.

The Gunners dismissed Tottenham in dismissive fashion, a 4-1 victory to once again move five points clear at the top of the Premier League.

Advertisement

Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both scored twice. A Declan Rice error helped put Spurs on the scoresheet in the first half, canceling out Eze’s opener and equalizing at half-time, but Arsenal ran away after the break.

A biggest away win at Tottenham since 1978 was a resounding response to the recent poor run. Arsenal now enter a rare midweek break, in good spirits and with the chance to recharge.

Arsenal stabilizes the ship

And breathe.

Arsenal’s title quest was in danger of being derailed after their draw against Wolves in midweek, a result which gave them just two wins in seven Premier League matches.

Advertisement

Manchester City’s victory over Newcastle on Saturday night reduced the gap to two points and the pressure was firmly on Arsenal to respond.

The atmosphere was bouncing in north London at kick-off, but at full time it was away in party mode and the home fans were already out and about.

Arsenal were a class above Spurs. They had 20 shots to Spurs’ six and could well have won by a wider margin.

It now makes four wins in a row at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium, the first time they have achieved this in north London derbies in 71 years. In enemy territory, Arsenal continue to feel at home.

This result didn’t make up for Molineux’s dismal performance, but it was a necessary display of character and one that should massively elevate Arsenal ahead of the final ten matches of the season.

Advertisement

Eze goes wild again against Spurs

Arteta is the type to think outside the box and find unique solutions to problems.

Can he find a way to make Eze believe he’s playing for Tottenham every week?

Five of his six league goals this season have come against Spurs. Eze had not scored in the league since his hat-trick in the north London derby in November, but he broke that duck in style.

His first game was well done on a bouncing ball, and he then threw himself on poor defense for his second. He was superb with the ball throughout, injecting pace into the attacks when needed and slipping some lovely passes towards Saka.

Advertisement

Eze also scored a brace at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium last season, for Crystal Palace, and he was also on the pitch the year before.

Eight goals in his last five appearances against Spurs is a comeback. Only Robert Pires and Emmanuel Adebayor have scored more goals in the north London derby for Arsenal in the Premier League, although Eze only played in two of them.

He couldn’t get going after his first performance against Spurs this season – he has to this time.

A familiar weakness strikes again

Arsenal have made things difficult for themselves on several occasions this season, whether by conceding shortly after scoring or gifting opposition goals with individual errors.

Advertisement

Both were on the line here, as Spurs equalized two minutes after Arsenal took the lead through Eze.

Declan Rice tried to dribble past Kolo Muani on the edge of his own area and had the ball stolen. The Frenchman had space to get into the box and he finished low past David Raya.

It was a terrible goal to concede in that way, but also in the fact that it immediately riled up the home fans and killed Arsenal’s momentum.

In 2026 alone, it is now ten times in all competitions that Arsenal have conceded within ten minutes of scoring. This pattern must stop.

Against the likes of Brentford and Wolves, this proved costly. This time, Arsenal found a way to reset. When they returned to the front, they did not look back.