LONDON — Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres each netted two goals in an impressive 4-1 triumph in the north London derby for Arsenal, allowing the Gunners to re-establish their five-point advantage over Manchester City at the summit of the Premier League with only 10 fixtures remaining.
Eze, who made history by becoming the inaugural Arsenal player to achieve a Premier League hat trick against Spurs in a 4-1 win at the Emirates last November, extended his remarkable scoring run against the club he opted against joining, choosing instead his childhood team from Crystal Palace last summer. He scored twice. Concurrently, Gyökeres, who secured two goals in the second half, showcased his finest display since his arrival from Sporting CP last summer. Despite Randal Kolo Muani briefly igniting Spurs’ hopes for a favorable outcome by neutralizing Eze’s first-half opener, new manager Igor Tudor suffered a significant defeat in his inaugural match at the helm, and his squad is now facing a struggle to avoid relegation at the lower end of the standings.
With City intensifying the pressure on Arsenal through their 2-1 home victory against Newcastle on Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s squad responded with resilience to secure a win against their local adversaries and transmit a message to City that they are ready to persevere to secure their first league title since 2004. — Mark Ogden
Braces from Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze give Arsenal their 5th North London Derby win in a row! pic.twitter.com/8swPaZX0YU
— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 22, 2026
Arsenal responds to escalating pressure
Irrespective of Tottenham’s ongoing difficulties, this encounter was anticipated as a significant examination of Arsenal’s fortitude, particularly after the Gunners had relinquished four points against Brentford and Wolves over the past 10 days.
Manchester City further intensified the stakes with a 2-1 success against Newcastle, which narrowed the margin to merely two points at kickoff. When Randal Kolo Muani netted the equalizer in the 34th minute, seizing possession from Declan Rice and slotting a low shot from a tight angle past David Raya, Arsenal could easily have faltered again. Nevertheless, the considerable disparity in quality between these two teams was apparent, and for one of the few recent occasions, Arsenal maintained a focused approach to eventually translate that superiority into the final score.
A victory might have been expected given that Spurs had only 13 senior players fit for selection and had secured just two home league wins throughout the season. Yet, this outcome should diminish — if not completely silence — the discussions about Arsenal’s tendency to “choke” with three months still remaining. — James Olley
Let’s not ignore it: Spurs are in a fight against relegation
Igor Tudor now has 11 league matches to preserve Tottenham Hotspur from being demoted from the Premier League. While it may sound unbelievable, it is a reality that everyone at the club must swiftly acknowledge.
Sunday’s substantial defeat positioned Spurs just four points above West Ham, who currently occupy the third relegation position. However, the Hammers, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds have recently demonstrated indications of being able to escape the drop zone. In contrast, Spurs have not claimed a league victory in 2026, and they appear far from ending that winless streak anytime soon if they persist in playing without any discernible attacking threat.
Their next fixture involves a challenging journey to in-form London rivals Fulham, followed by a potentially pivotal home game against Crystal Palace on March 5. Alongside Spurs, West Ham, Leeds, and Forest, Palace is the other team embroiled in the five-way struggle to avoid demotion, and their form is nearly as concerning as Tottenham’s, with Oliver Glasner’s future as coach remaining a significant point of contention.
Spurs possess the upcoming games to extricate themselves from difficulty, but when you haven’t triumphed since December and your roster lacks top-tier talent and the capacity for resolute play, then a predicament exists. Spurs are grappling with this issue, and a refusal to acknowledge their situation could see them descend towards a once-unthinkable relegation. — Ogden
Eze excels and Gyökeres scores his most vital goal
Among all the unsuccessful transfer endeavors Tottenham has experienced, their failure to acquire Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace last summer must haunt the club more than most. Spurs had secured a £60 million agreement with Palace, only for Eze to elect to join the Gunners at the eleventh hour.
How has he fared? Indeed, the 27-year-old has accumulated seven goals for Arsenal this season, with five of those coming against Tottenham. Astonishingly, Eze’s strike in the 32nd minute on Sunday marked his first shot on target in the league since his hat trick in November’s reverse fixture.
While Eze has struggled for consistent playing time this season, Viktor Gyökeres has faltered under the burden of expectations following his summer transfer from Sporting Lisbon. He wasn’t entirely convincing again on Sunday, yet his magnificent goal in the 47th minute likely ranks as the most significant he has scored for the Gunners. It might surprise you to learn it was his 14th of the season, but many of those have come against weaker opposition or late in matches where the outcome was already decided.
Spurs are, of course, 16th in the league, but the contest was finely poised when Gyökeres collected the ball at the edge of the penalty area and finished powerfully to restore the visitors’ advantage. This moment reflects a recent positive trend, and he further capitalized in stoppage time — scoring the type of goal we have seen more frequently to reach 15, powerfully advancing towards goal and curling the ball in from a tight angle — as Arsenal launched a swift counterattack. — Olley
Tottenham supporters embrace Tudor … for the time being
Less than half an hour into the game, the Spurs faithful began chanting “Igor Tudor’s blue and white army,” which offered at least one positive for the new Tottenham coach during a humbling debut match in charge.
It was the discontent of the Spurs supporters that triggered Thomas Frank’s dismissal after merely half a season at the helm, demonstrating that the collective voice of the fans does influence decisions made at the highest echelons of all clubs. And although the Spurs hierarchy initially resisted calls for Frank’s departure, the combination of poor results and supporter frustration ultimately led to him losing his position earlier this month.
It is still very early for Tudor, but the Spurs fans never fully warmed to former Brentford coach Frank, so the fact that he already has the backing of the supporters is a foundation upon which he can build.
Tudor’s appointment was unconventional, and the majority of fans were — and perhaps still are — skeptical of the former Lazio and Juventus boss. However, the tenacity and resolve exhibited by the Spurs players early in this game were a direct result of Tudor’s leadership and motivation, and this impressed the supporters. The result clearly did not, and Spurs still face a considerable journey, but the fans at least appear to have faith in their new coach. — Ogden
Arsenal’s individual blunders persist, but are not costly this time
Moments after Eberechi Eze propelled Arsenal to a 1-0 lead, Declan Rice could be observed on the pitch urging his elated teammates to maintain their concentration and alertness. This message echoed sentiments he expressed in interviews leading up to Sunday’s derby, highlighting the necessity to eliminate individual errors that had recently plagued Arsenal. Yet, barely two minutes later, Rice was dispossessed deep in his own half by Randal Kolo Muani, who swiftly turned and drove a low shot past David Raya to equalize at 1-1.
This marked the fourth such error directly leading to a goal in 2026 alone, following Gabriel Magalhães’ mistake at Bournemouth, Martín Zubimendi’s against Manchester United, and the miscommunication between Gabriel and Raya at Wolves. On this occasion, it did not cost them three points, but there remains work to be done to prevent making games unnecessarily difficult for themselves, as Rice rightly pointed out beforehand. — Olley