As good as Eze & Gyokeres: £45m star had his best game for Arsenal vs Spurs

Just four days ago, huge questions were asked of Arsenal. Mikel Arteta‘s side were dreadful as they slipped to a 2-2 draw away at Wolves.

How on earth had they dropped points there? Well, it was a rather difficult one to answer.

Therefore, as they headed across north London to take on bitter rivals Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, the Gunners had the perfect opportunity to respond.

Respond is exactly what they did, and in some style too. It was a day of glory for Arteta and Co as braces from Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres got Arsenal across the line, winning 4-1.

Manchester City may well have a game in hand, but the difference between the two sides is back to five points. How quickly football can change, eh? After this emphatic result, any lingering concerns have evaporated once again.

How Eze and Gyokeres downed Spurs

Since signing for big money last summer, it’s safe to say this has not been the easiest of rides for Eze and Gyokeres in Arsenal colours.

The former has floated in and out of the team and failed to really showcase why Arsenal paid around £67.5m to bring him to the Emirates Stadium from Crystal Palace. Likewise, Gyokeres has struggled. He’s struggled to get into games and did not look like a centre forward capable of helping Arsenal win the Premier League title.

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Yet, both now look ready at a crucial time to help power the Gunners to the league crown. This was perhaps Gyokeres’ finest night in an Arsenal shirt and it was certainly Eze’s best performance since that magical hat-trick the last time Arsenal faced Spurs.

There’s something about a north London derby that ignites a fire in the England international and after rejecting the Lilywhites to sign for Arteta’s side over the summer, it makes the two games with Spurs extra special.

While he did not score a hat-trick this time out, his performance was just as impactful, scoring twice and finding the net for the first time in the league since that trio of goals against their neighbours.

Since that clash at home against Spurs, the former Palace star has really struggled to make an impact but this was a timely reminder of why Andrea Berta brought him to the club. His first strike was a little messy but he opened the scoring from close range. There was nothing messy about the second. He exchanged passes with Gyokeres, fed Saka and then after the winger’s effort was blocked, he fired home the rebound from inside the area.

Eze’s performance was brilliant but the official man of the match was Gyokeres. Like his fellow summer signing, the striker has faced enormous criticism since moving to London. After the game against Wolves, he had registered zero shots on target in 60% of his league matches for Arsenal.

Well, he looked like a totally different player against a Spurs side who he completely bullied. Arteta described it as the Swede’s best performance for the club post-game and it’s hard to disagree with that. He took both of his goals brilliantly.

The first, supplied by Jurrien Timber, was rifled home with power and accuracy from the edge of the area and his second to close out the game was all about his strength. He outmuscled Archie Gray and then crashed the ball past Guglielmo Vicario.

Gyokeres looked classy in front of goal but it was his all-round play that pleased Arteta the most. He ran the channels and held the ball up immensely well for his teammates.

That said, they were not the only two to deliver exquisite performances in red and white.

£45m Arsenal star delivers his best display yet

Much of the acclaim will go to Eze and Gyokeres but there were a number of other faultless performers for Arteta’s side. David Raya notably made a remarkable goal-line save to keep Arsenal’s lead intact towards the end of the game while Bukayo Saka was back to his creative best on the right, supplying the first goal.

Special praise must also be reserved for Piero Hincapie who has had quite the week at left-back for Arsenal.

He scored his first goal for the club against Wolves in midweek but perhaps saved his finest performance since arriving from Bayer Leverkusen in the summer for Spurs on Sunday.

Truth be told, the Ecuadorian has not always convinced following his big move but like Gyokeres, is now growing into a bigger role at Arsenal and looks like a particularly important player, particularly if Riccardo Calafiori’s fitness issues are to continue.

Hincapie is a centre-back by trade but has filled in for Calafiori at left-back over the last week and has made a huge impact, notably against Spurs, where he dealt with Igor Tudor’s attack with absolute ease.

During his time on the field, the 24-year-old was near perfect, amassing ten defensive contributions. He prevailed in as many as eight of his duels and won five of seven contested tackles.

Hincapie vs Spurs
Minutes played	90
Touches	55
Accurate passes	24/27 (89%)
Key passes	3
Big chances created	1
Carries	9
Crosses	0/2
Shots	1
Tackles won	5/7
Clearances	3
Recoveries	4
Ground duels won	8/13
Aerial duels won	0/1

The defender was the very definition of a monster but his efforts were not reserved just for defensive phases of play. As he did against Wolves a few days ago, Hincapie proved that he can offer a threat going forward, supplying three key passes and delivering two crosses. Only one of his 55 touches was unsuccessful too.

While the South American is only on loan at the moment, Arsenal have an option to buy him for £45m in the next transfer window. If he continues to deliver more performances like this between now and the end of May, it would be a no-brainer to make the move permanent.

The result against Wolves may not have gone Arsenal’s way but it would be hard to disagree with the fact that this has been Hincapie’s best week from an individual point of view since arriving from German shores.