Mikel Arteta says Eberechi Eze’s match-winning hat-trick in Sunday’s north London derby is a clear reward for the effort Arsenal’s summer signing has been putting in on the training ground.
Eze’s hat trick was just the fourth ever recorded in this fixture and notably the third produced by an Arsenal player, making it the first time anyone has achieved it since 1978.
Alan Sunderland netted a treble at White Hart Lane during a 5-0 Division One win in December 1978. The only other hat trick Arsenal had scored against Spurs came from Ted Drake in October 1934, in a 5-1 home win.
This marked the first hat-trick in a Premier League north London derby, and the fact it was netted by a childhood Arsenal fan who began his journey in Arsenal’s youth system made it even more magical.
“Unbelievable,” Arteta said after the game. “I look at the stats, and when was the last time that somebody scored a hat trick in a North London derby? Many, many, many years ago. So that tells you about the difficulty, but it’s not a coincidence.”
“After international duty, he had two days off. And he said, “No, I want to train the next day; I want to practice.” He was asking me questions about his positioning, about his pacing, about this. When a player has that talent, has a brain, and has that willingness to be better and to make an impact on the team, these things happen.”
Eze’s hat-trick was the perfect way to cap an unforgettable derby day in N5, and Arteta noted that the tone for the match was set before kick-off by Arsenal supporters, who were in full voice. The atmosphere was further electrified pre-match by a dazzling light show and a stunning supporter-led tifo display in the North Bank.
“I had goosebumps straight away,” he continued. “I went out there, and I said, ‘Today feels different; today feels big.’ And the players, I prepared them, and I said, “This is different.” For the ones that haven’t been here, that means so much. I mean, we have the great responsibility and also the pride to make a lot of people happy and proud about this football club. And I think we certainly have done that.”
The Spaniard added that the players had been fully focused on the derby and the busy week ahead against Bayern Munich and Chelsea from the moment they returned from international duty for Arsenal.
“I enjoyed every minute of the preparation since the players came back from international duty. I could sense their willingness to be together again and to get some momentum going as well with the big week that we had ahead. And the atmosphere that we created from the first minute, the energy with the crowd, and then the performances of the players. I think it’s an outstanding day.”
