Hat-Trick Hero Sparks Arsenal's 4-1 Derby Destruction of Spurs

Match recap

Arsenal routed Tottenham Hotspur 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium in the Premier League's Week 12 clash.

Trossard opened the scoring in the 36th minute, and Ezi completed a first-half hat-trick in the 41st, 46th, and 76th minutes, with Richarlison striking Spurs’ lone goal in the 56th.

Arsenal move to 29 points, six clear of Chelsea and seven ahead of Manchester City, while Tottenham sit on 18 points in ninth place. Mikel Arteta named an XI featuring goalkeeper David Raya and a backline anchored by Timber and Saliba; Tottenham, under Thomas Frank, lined up with Richarlison leading the attack.

Early in the second half, Ezi's third goal sealed the result, and Arsenal added a fourth soon after as they maintained pressure.

Statistically, Arsenal achieved a fourth consecutive Premier League win over Spurs. Ezi’s hat-trick marks the 400th hat-trick in Premier League history and makes him one of Arsenal’s most notable scorers in the North London derby; Richarlison’s goal was Spurs’ sole spark, his 21st Premier League strike for the club and their top South American scorer in PL history.

Opta data and the outlet Skokka highlighted the historic nature of the win and the derby’s evolving dynamics. Punchlines forthcoming: laughter is encouraged, stats not so much.

Punchline #1: If football were a sandwich, Arsenal just served a four-course feast while Spurs brought a snack you’d rather skip.

Punchline #2: In this derby, Spurs learned the hard way that defending is a team sport—preferably played by Arsenal this afternoon.