Eze and Gyökeres at the double boost Arsenal title bid with Spurs rout

Arsenal could feel the breath of Manchester City on their necks and the questions mounting; the anxiety all around them. The draw at Wolves on Wednesday had been a disaster and, with only two Premier League wins in seven, everybody seemed to want to say the same thing. Mikel Arteta and his players were cracking up in their pursuit of the title.

This was the soothing tonic they craved, a comfortable and confident dismissal of a Tottenham team desperate to feel a new manager bounce under Igor Tudor. Spurs did show personality to find a Randal Kolo Muani goal for 1-1 in the 34th minute; it was the striker’s first for the club in the league.

There was the moment on 84 minutes when the substitute, Richarlison, drew a brilliant save out of David Raya. The stadium was far less toxic after the sacking of Thomas Frank and Tudor’s appointment until the end of the season. There were not really any boos. But the pickings remained extremely slim.

It was not a day for Tudor and the injury-ravaged squad he has inherited; one to alleviate the relegation fears that are running wild. Rather it was one for Arsenal and two of their players in particular.

Everybody knows the story about Eberechi Eze, how he chose Arsenal over Spurs last summer and scored a hat-trick in the north London derby in November, which Arsenal won 4-1. Equally, everybody knows how Viktor Gyökeres, another expensive new recruit, has laboured at times.

Eze was at it again here while Gyökeres showed up in some style. Both scored twice, Eze’s second for 3-1 just after the hour being the moment when any glimmer of Spurs hope left the building. When Gyökeres surged through in stoppage time to beat Guglielmo Vicario, it was the prompt for thousands of Spurs fans to stream for the exits. Their misery goes on. It is now just two league wins in 18. The unthinkable continues to nag.

Arteta had recalled Eze to the starting lineup and there was an inevitability about him being the player to break the deadlock. Arsenal flickered at the outset, the combination between Jurriën Timber and Bukayo Saka looking dangerous. When the latter played in the former on four minutes, Gyökeres saw a header blocked in front of the line by Radu Dragusin.

Eze’s opener followed another move up the Arsenal right, Timber feeding Saka this time for a one-on-one with Pape Sarr. Saka’s first move did not work but he was able to win the ball back off Sarr and cross low towards Eze. It deflected off Conor Gallagher, meaning that Eze had to reach back for it. His solution was to flick the ball up to keep it within his sphere of influence before slashing home on the volley.

Arsenal merited the lead. Dragusin had cleared another one away from his line in the fifth minute after Vicario left to head clear and Leandro Trossard returned the ball with interest from long range. Gyökeres banged a shot just past the far post and William Saliba went close with a header after a corner.

Spurs responded. After Eze’s goal went in, Declan Rice could be seen pointing at his temples, urging focus from his Arsenal teammates. But it was Rice who was at fault for the equaliser. He had swept up a loose ball in the right-back position only to be robbed by Kolo Muani, who drove towards goal, holding off Saliba and unloading a low shot before Gabriel Magalhães could get across. The ball flashed past Raya. Rice held up his hands in apology.

Arsenal might have scored again before the interval. Vicario got out to block from Saka after Piero Hincapié’s diagonal ball in behind while Trossard was inches past the far post with a shot after yet another move up the right. Arteta contorted in agony but he was happier after the restart when Gyökeres enjoyed scored his first.

Xavi Simons had worked Raya at the other end and it was simply a defensive switch-off from his Spurs teammates when Timber fired a pass into Gyökeres. The marking on the edge of the area was conspicuous by its absence. Gyökeres took a touch and hammered past Vicario.

There was never the sense that Arsenal would cave in for a second time. They did get away with one when Kolo Muani shot past Raya from a Gallagher cross after putting his hands into the small of Gabriel’s back. The Arsenal defender went down theatrically but the foul was there, however soft it looked on the replays.

Arsenal got the breathing room of a third goal shortly after Vicario had saved from Saka. Arteta’s team had control and Eze enjoyed a break off João Palhinha before steering past Vicario. The move had been fired by a Dragusin error and a quick Arsenal transition, Gyökeres involved and Saka played in. He could not finish. Eze could. There was no way back for Spurs.