Eberechi Eze came close to joining Tottenham during the summer. On Sunday, he scored a hat trick against Spurs for their biggest rival.

The England playmaker was the inspiration behind Arsenal’s 4-1 win in the north London derby that left his team with a six-point lead in the Premier League.

Eze added to Leandro Trossard’s 36th-minute opening goal with his first in the 41st, and made it 3-0 just 23 seconds into the second half by slotting in a left-footed finish.

Eze completed his first senior hat trick — and the first by an Arsenal player against Tottenham since 1978 — with a curling shot in the 76th. It has proved to be the perfect weekend for Arsenal, which had seen its two biggest title rivals — Manchester City and Liverpool — lose on Saturday.

“It is special,” Eze said. “Words can

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