Eze makes historic mark on special day
Before the North London derby, Tottenham captain Thomas Frank joked: "Who is Eze?" when asked about Spurs' seriousness in this deal in the summer transfer window of 2025. Then, on Sunday night, Frank received the most painful answer.
No one could have imagined that Eze's first hat-trick in his career would come in the most important match and be meaningful to Arsenal fans.
Arsenal's £67 million signing is quickly becoming the main card in Mikel Arteta's hands. When Martin Odegaard was injured, Eze was given the "number 10" role and immediately shined. He needs time to get used to his new position compared to his time at Crystal Palace, but Eze has started to create impressive moments such as Martinelli's equalizer against Man City, a goal against Palace and now a hat-trick against Tottenham.
Eze's unpredictable creativity makes Arsenal's attack more dangerous. With his current form, the upcoming matches against Bayern Munich and Chelsea promise to continue to see Eze shine.
In 2025, no English player has contributed more goals than Eze. In the Premier League, only Haaland, Salah, Mbeumo and Semenyo have a better total of goals and assists than the 27-year-old.
Is the 6-point gap enough for Arsenal?
The Premier League still has 26 rounds left, so in theory, the 6-point gap is not the decisive gap. However, Premier League history is leaning towards Arsenal.
This is the 5th time The Gunners have led after 12 rounds and this is also the biggest gap they have ever created at this time. More importantly, no team in Premier League history has lost the championship when leading by 6 points or more after 12 matches.
Chelsea are a team with an impressive winning streak and have kept a clean sheet for 3 consecutive matches, suddenly becoming the biggest challenge. Aston Villa and Crystal Palace are also quietly chasing. Liverpool, having been 11 points behind Arsenal, will have to do something unprecedented in Premier League history if they want to defend their title.
As for Man City, they have also won the championship twice when they were behind with the same gap at the beginning of the season. Although they have just lost to Newcastle, it is impossible not to underestimate The Citizens with the champions' almost absolute bravery in the past 8 years.
Arsenal proves squad depth, without Gabriel still wins
Before the match, many Arsenal fans were worried that Gabriel - their best center back of the season - could not participate. He dominated defensive metrics such as high ball disputes, clearing the ball and was the one who carried the defense with William Saliba.
Last season, Arsenal won only 4/12 matches when Gabriel and Saliba did not play together. However, this time, the "Gunners" have proven that they have reached a new level.
The £250 million investment in the summer has helped Arteta gain impressive squad depth. Piero Hincapie - a rookie from Leverkusen, who Arteta called a "real warrior" has replaced Gabriel and played well. The ability to play both as a central defender and a full-back of many names helps Arteta be more flexible and ensure that the team's quality does not decrease when lacking key players.
Arsenal are on the right track and the challenge is in the other part
Arsenal have sent a strong message to the rest of the Premier League. Without Gabriel, without Odegaard, they still beat a team that has never lost away like Tottenham. The Gunners have the most fearsome attack in the league, a solid defense and a truly explosive Eze.
The race is still long but Arsenal are showing that they are not only strong, but also more mature, cold and stable than they were in previous seasons.
