Paint it RED

November 23, 2025

Emirates Stadium, London

Arsenal arrived at this derby defending a 14-match unbeaten run across all competitions, a sequence that has steadied their ascent to the summit of the Premier League. And if there is one figure capable of sustaining such trajectories, it is Mikel Arteta. Since first captaining the side in 2012, he has never lost a home match to Tottenham. Yet Spurs came with a distinction of their own: the only team still unbeaten away from home this season, though their recent exits—from the Carabao Cup at Newcastle and the UEFA Super Cup on penalties to Paris Saint-Germain—betrayed a brittleness beneath the statistics.

The international break had burdened Arsenal with unwelcome uncertainty. Gabriel Magalhães limped off for Brazil with a thigh injury but Hincapie was ready to take on the responsibility. Especially because the north London derby generates an energy unlike any other: every tackle amplified, every header charged with collective will. As Arsenal’s vast tifo rose—Campbell, Henry, Adams, Ødegaard, Saka, Gabriel—the stadium inhaled as one.

Within two minutes Saka cut inside and released Eze, who lifted a deft pass to Rice. His clean volley was turned away by Vicario. The opening quarter belonged entirely to Arsenal: Saka tormenting the right flank, Trossard urging the crowd into voice, free-kicks scraping agonisingly close.

The breakthrough came through Mikel Merino, drifting into a central pocket before arcing a delicate ball toward Trossard, who controlled, pivoted, and sent a left-footed finish inside the far post. Arsenal’s aggression, invention, and sheer volume overwhelmed Spurs’ reliance on the foul. Eze then produced a moment of audacity—slipping through four defenders to double the lead—before striking again moments into the second half, laughing as the ball threaded through a thicket of legs for 3–0. Suddenly his story is more satisfying than that of Campbell’s. Tomas Frank asked before the game “Who is Eze?” Now, he won’t be able to forget him.

A long-range strike from Richarlison briefly unsettled the narrative, but Eze reclaimed it with a devastating counterattacking hat-trick—the first in this derby for half a century. Ian Wright asked him to score in the derby, so he scored 3 times. Moments later, he connected with Madueke who came back after months of injury, but Dubravka’s superb save denied only his fourth. Olé, olé, olé. Arsenal’s pressing remained remorseless, their authority absolute until the last whistle. 

Four derby wins in succession. City lost, Liverpool lost. Arsenal stand six points clear.

Arsenal 4 – 1 Tottenham Hotspur

(L. Trossard 36’, E. Eze 41’, 76’, Richarlison 56’)