If you were convincing Arsenal, you would be sitting pretty happy right now. The Gunners sit top of the table and Mikel Arteta’s side have just dispatched a fierce rival. Life doesn’t get much better, does it?
The series of events that unfolded at Emirates made their 4-1 victory all the more fascinating.
Thomas Frank jokingly answered a reporter’s question about Eberechi Eze while preparing for the match: “Who is Eze?”
The England international infamously refused a move to Tottenham in the summer, even though it appeared as if everything had been agreed. He instead joined their rivals and headed to the club of his boyhood dreams. The club that rejected him when he was still a boy in their academy.
Well, I hope everything goes well. Frank certainly knows who Eze is now. In Arsenal’s red, he is now a hero after the start of the season was delayed several months.
Arteta’s side recorded an impressive win and strengthened their position at the top of the Premier League, but much to Franck’s dismay, Eze became the man of the hour with a breathtaking hat-trick.
How Eberechi Eze beat Spurs
Wow, just amazing. What an amazing moment this was. A few years ago, Eze revealed that he cried in his room when he was rejected by Arsenal.
It has always been his dream to play for this club and that dream became a reality in the summer. But even though I had prayed for such a moment to happen, I never dreamed of what would happen on Sunday.
It was one of the best individual performances by an Arsenal player in our memory. Recent memories include Declan Rice’s performance against Real Madrid last season and Andrei Arshavin’s four goals at Anfield. Sometimes a player puts on a performance so perfect that it becomes a topic of conversation for years to come. This was that moment.
Eze has had to work hard to maintain his form this season, playing a mix of left-wing and central play. With captain Martin Odegaard out injured, the Reds had an opportunity to show off why they were signed for £67.5 million in the summer.
However, before the match against Spurs, the former Crystal Palace man had scored just one goal in the league. How quickly things change in the soccer world.
Every time Eze scored, he seemed to get even better. The first shot was supplied by Declan Rice, who, perhaps rather fortunately, managed to get it in amidst a slew of Spurs players. Leandro Trossard took the lead, firing past the goalkeeper to make it 2-0.
Eze’s night improved in the second half, and minutes after the half-time interval he pounced into the path of Julien Timber and fired into the top corner with his left foot.
His third and final goal came late in the game as Spurs threw their players forward. Trossard took center stage again and played the ball to Eze, who was standing in the area. He adjusted himself with a touch, then whipped it home. It capped off a great performance that will live long in his memory, as well as in the memories of his supporters.
Still, he wasn’t the only player to have had his best game in Arsenal colors in the red and white.
Eze isn’t the only one: another Arsenal star played his best game for the club
That was the main reason Arsenal signed Eze in the summer. They needed more depth and more quality on the left side.
Noni Madueke had already been signed from Chelsea, but Gabriel Martinelli and the aforementioned Trossard lacked the spice. Both players each scored eight goals in the Premier League last season.
It is doubtful that the Belgian was given a summer salary increase in order to remain at the club, but when he signed for Eze it looked as if his career at the Emirates Stadium was over.
Well, how wrong were we? In the words of Arsenal writer Conor Hamm, Trossard is “probably the best winger in the Premier League this season”.
The 30-year-old, who always shines in the big moments, was on his mark again and performed as effectively as Eze.
Trossard scored the first goal in the first half. The goal was scored by an outside-in run that Gary Neville, commentating on Sky Sports, described as “like Robert Pires.”
Mikel Merino still had a lot of work to do, however, and he brilliantly clipped a pass into the path of Trossard. He snatched the ball, spun, and hit it into the net with his left foot. Advantage Arsenal.
Trossard’s work was not carried out there. The £27 million man made two important passes, one of which was crucial in supplying Eze’s goal to complete his hat-trick.
Simon Collings of The Standard said it was “probably one of his best games in an Arsenal shirt” when the Belgian winger was substituted late on. very.
Trossard vs Spurs | |
|---|---|
Play time (minutes) | 78 |
the goal | 1 |
touch | 39 |
exact path | 11/23 (48%) |
key pass | 2 |
assist | 1 |
shot on target | 1 |
accurate cross | 1/1 |
dribbling success | 0/4 |
won a duel | 4/10 |
Statistics by Sofascore. | |
It was a tireless performance and one that epitomized the former Brighton forward’s time in London.
In the 32 games in which Trossard has scored for Arsenal, they have never lost. In which match has he scored the most goals in his career? Liverpool (6), Chelsea (4), Spurs (4).
Wingers are not Usain Bolt, nor are they the fastest players in the world. He’s no Bukayo Saka either, lacking the same explosiveness. But what he lacks in that regard, he makes up for in technical ability and mental strength. He’s a mental giant and one of the hardest-working players on this team.
Eze certainly attracted attention at the Emirates, but it’s no surprise that Trossard also gets his flowers.
