A ‘special day’ for Eze – but can anyone challenge Arsenal for title?

Arsenal have had a fantastic weekend.

After giving their Premier League title rivals a second chance after a surprise draw at Sunderland, Sunday’s resounding victory over Tottenham puts them firmly back in the mix.

Eberechi Eze, a Tottenham target in the summer, was the hero, scoring his first hat-trick for the club’s senior team since 1978 when Arsenal defeated Tottenham 4-1 in a precarious display for the rest of the league.

After defending champions Liverpool suffered a sixth defeat in seven games and Manchester City suffered a defeat at Newcastle, Mikel Arteta’s men were unaffected by these issues, moving six points clear of second-place Chelsea.

Given that Gabriel, Martin Odegaard, Kai Havertz, and Viktor Gyokores are all injured, this seemed like a statement win for Arsenal against their bitter rivals, who had been playing away from home all season.

There was only one winner in a north London derby that was as one-sided as you can get, taking away Richarlison’s stunning chip from distance to give the visitors a consolation goal.

Tottenham’s three shots were Arsenal’s 17th, with Arsenal’s final goal (xG) of just 0.07 being the visitors’ 17.

That is absurd, I say. Man, it’s a special day. Eze described it as “a special day for my family” on BBC Match of the Day.

I don’t believe I ever had a dream about it. More unique than that is this. I have no words to thank God.

Because of our staff’s diligence, we were prepared for whatever set-up they brought. They deserve a lot of praise, as do the players on our team who possess both talent and ability. We’re threatening to score goals, regardless of the angle.

What a day it turned out to be for Eze, a young Arsenal fan.

Who made a joke before the game, according to Tottenham manager Thomas Frank? when questioned about Eze’s likelihood of joining the Spurs in the summer. He was certainly haunted by those words.

The first north London derby in Premier League history, let alone a first senior hat-trick, is a landmark in its own right.

Eze is beginning to establish himself as one of the team’s first names on Mikel Arteta’s team sheet with the £67 million signing that he made in a deal worth £67 million.

Although there were concerns about where he would play in the Gunners’ starting lineup, Eze has now taken his chance with both hands after captain Odegaard was injured.

The 27-year-old has had to settle down because he has adapted to playing a different role at Arsenal than he has at Crystal Palace, but he has already started to deliver memorable moments.

He scored the winning goal in stoppage-time against Palace and completed Gabriel Martinelli’s scoring feat with a superb pass, earning him his first senior hat-trick against Arsenal’s biggest rivals.

Arsenal’s forward line gains a new edge from his unpredictable nature.

Eze will relish the challenge given the form he is currently in, which includes games against Bayern Munich and Chelsea.

“That’s him. After the England camp, he had two days off, and he wanted to train, according to Arteta.

He desired to return and make improvements and ask questions. These things happen when you combine such talent and intelligence with a desire to improve and practice.

How good is he, I said to Thomas Tuchel when we talked about Eze. One of the best things I have seen, he said to me. In terms of talent, I think he has the best talent. We have a special player if we factor in his work-rate, willingness to play for this team, and the joy I experience while he is inside the building.

In the Premier League, no English player has scored more goals than Eze did in 2025. More top-flight goals have been scored by the Arsenal number 10 (18 goals, eight assists), only Erling Haaland (25), Mohamed Salah (23), Bryan Mbeumo (21), and Antoine Semenyo (18).

I am aware of how significant and meaningful this performance from Crystal Palace was for him. Former Crystal Palace forward Clinton Morrison described himself as the best player on the pitch.

Yes, according to what you have to say, each team has 26 games to play this year.

Thus, it is undoubtedly not impossible to maintain a six-point lead at this point. Although accurate, the stats point to a significant lead for Arsenal.

Arsenal have won the Premier League five times in a row after twelve games, but look away, Gunners fans, for the first three times they have failed to continue winning the title at this point.

This is their largest lead to date in a Premier League campaign, though.

For Arsenal supporters, it gets even better. No team has in the Premier League season without a lead of six points or more after 12 games.

However, that statistic is inaccurate because teams have won the title from teams that have come from farther back.

How many teams have lost six or more points after playing twelve games and still managed to win the title?

Only five times, the most recent of which came in 2013-14, when City were six points clear of Arsenal, remain a healthy situation for the club.

Chelsea are currently in second place, so they must be viewed as title contenders.

For the first time in a row without conceding in a league game since 2022, they have won five of their previous six games.

No team has ever won the Premier League title since Liverpool is now 11 points behind Arsenal, according to Arne Slot’s men, who would need to come back and win it.

Without Gabriel, who is arguably Arsenal’s best center-back, Gabriel, the fans would have been concerned before the north London derby.

The Brazilian had been a constant presence throughout Arsenal’s extraordinarily strong defensive debut, leading the league in aerial duals and clearances and recording the joint second-highest block count in the league.

When Gabriel and William Saliba did not form a team, Arsenal only managed to win four of their 12 league games last season.

After spending £250 million on a new Arsenal player acquisition, which adds depth and quality to their squad, this one appears to be a different one.

increase the depth of their squad by adding talented players.

The defender is a favorite of Arteta, who referred to him as a “warrior,” and has a £52m option to make the loan deal permanent.