Eze's hat-trick drives Arsenal's emphatic derby victory against Spurs
Arsenal's midfielder Eberechi Eze demonstrated to Tottenham exactly what they let slip away by scoring an outstanding hat-trick during a 4-1 thrashing in the north London derby, which strengthened the Premier League frontrunners' push for the title on Sunday.
Mikel Arteta's team overpowered a hesitant Tottenham, with Leandro Trossard and Eze finding the net in the opening half at the Emirates Stadium.
Eze, having turned down Tottenham's interest to sign for Arsenal during the summer transfer window, added another goal after the break.
Richarlison's stunning effort from distance pulled one back, yet it offered little comfort as Eze sealed his impressive treble, propelling the Gunners to a six-point lead at the summit.
This marked just the fourth hat-trick in north London derby history, following those by Ted Drake, Terry Dyson, and Alan Sunderland.
Arsenal's run of 10 straight wins came to an end with Sunderland's last-gasp leveller in a 2-2 stalemate prior to the international fixtures.
However, Eze's finest display since his £60 million ($78 million) transfer from Crystal Palace wiped away that disappointment, as Tottenham suffered yet another defeat at the Emirates.
The Gunners, undefeated in their previous seven encounters against Tottenham in north London derbies, have tasted victory in 32 of the last 33 home clashes with their fierce neighbours from the far end of Seven Sisters Road.
Arsenal's most substantial triumph over Tottenham since 2012 served as an ideal launch to a vital stretch, including a Champions League showdown with Bayern Munich midweek and a journey to second-place Chelsea the following weekend.
Their unbeaten sequence across all tournaments now stands at 15 matches, allowing them to capitalise on Manchester City's 2-1 loss to Newcastle the day before.
As City falter and title holders Liverpool grapple with instability, Arsenal possess a prime chance to secure their first English crown since 2004.
Tottenham entered with the league's strongest record on the road, but the feeble conclusion to their five-match unbeaten away streak sparked renewed doubts over manager Thomas Frank's cautious approach.
The injury to Arsenal's central defender Gabriel Magalhaes was viewed as a possible vulnerability for Tottenham to target.
Nevertheless, Tottenham seldom approached the Arsenal box to put that idea to the test.
Frank encouraged his players to relish the "controlled chaos" of the intense derby atmosphere at the "madhouse".
Yet the Danish coach has found it hard to convince Tottenham fans with his restrained tactics, and opting for a five-man defence proved disastrous, leaving his backline in disarray amid the sole frenzy on the pitch.
Eze delivers a statement
Tottenham aimed to sap the game's intensity, delaying proceedings during throw-ins and goal-kicks.
Arteta's squad, sharper in possession and off-the-ball runs, rightly went ahead in the 36th minute.
Mikel Merino once more filled in as a temporary forward without the sidelined Viktor Gyokeres, though the Spanish midfielder retreated to accustomed areas to assist Trossard's strike.
With a delicate lofted pass over Tottenham's defence, Merino located Trossard, who benefited from Kevin Danso's lapse in positioning.
Trossard deftly manoeuvred to create room, firing a shot from 10 yards that took a deflection beyond Guglielmo Vicario.
Had events unfolded as Tottenham hoped in the transfer market, Eze might have lined up for them, but Arsenal swooped in late to secure the England international from Palace.
Frank had quipped: "Who's Eze?" earlier in the week regarding the botched transfer.
Eze provided the ideal response in the 41st minute, collecting Declan Rice's delivery smoothly and gliding through before slotting a precise low drive past Vicario.
Frank substituted Xavi Simons for Danso at halftime, but bringing on the attacker Tottenham acquired as an alternative to Eze changed nothing.
Eze netted once more merely 35 seconds into the second period, exploiting Tottenham's sluggish rearguard with a sharp finish from the edge of the box.
Richarlison momentarily hushed the jubilant Arsenal supporters by chipping David Raya with a superb lob from 35 yards in the 55th minute.
That represented Tottenham's initial effort of the match, and Eze, fed by Trossard's through ball, capped his exceptional showing with a powerful 12-yard shot in the 76th minute.