What a day it turned out to be for boyhood Arsenal fan Eze.
Before the match Tottenham manager Thomas Frank joked “who?” when questioned about how close Eze was to becoming a Spurs player in the summer. Those words certainly came back to haunt him.
A first senior hat-trick is a landmark in itself, let alone the first north London derby in Premier League history.
Eze signed for Arsenal in a deal worth £67m and is starting to cement himself as one of the first names on the teamsheet for manager Mikel Arteta.
When he signed for the Gunners there were questions about where he would fit into the side but, after an injury to captain Odegaard, Eze has taken his opportunity with both hands.
The 27-year-old has taken time to settle as he got used to a different role in this Arsenal team than the one he was used to at Crystal Palace, but he has already started to deliver big moments.
He provided an excellent pass for Gabriel Martinelli’s stoppage-time equaliser against City, scored the winner against Palace and now has a first senior hat-trick against the Gunners’ biggest rivals.
His unpredictability adds another edge to Arsenal’s forward line.
The Gunners have another two big games coming up, with matches against Bayern Munich and Chelsea, but Eze will relish the challenge given the form he is now in.
“That’s him. He had two days off after the England camp and after day one he wanted to train,” Arteta said.
“He wanted to come back and improve and ask questions. When you have such a talent and such intelligence and then you add that willingness to be better and practise, these things happen.
“When I spoke to Thomas Tuchel [about Eze] I said ‘how good is he?’ He said to me ‘one of the best I have seen’. I rate him one of the best in terms of talent. If we add in now his work-rate, willingness to play for this team and the joy I sense when he is in the building we have a special player.”
No English player has been involved in more goals that Eze in 2025 in the Premier League. Only Erling Haaland (25), Mohamed Salah (23), Bryan Mbeumo (21) and Antoine Semenyo (18) have been involved in more top-flight goals than the Arsenal number 10 (18 – 10 goals, eight assists).
“I know how much this move from Crystal Palace meant to him and what a performance from him. Best player on the pitch,” former Crystal Palace forward Clinton Morrison told BBC Radio 5 Live.
“This is where his Arsenal career takes off.”