Tottenham were close to signing Eberechi Eze during the summer but they could not get near him at the Emirates Stadium. This was a brutal exhibition of what they missed out on, performed by a man seemingly on a mission to hammer home the message.Thomas Frank had tried to make light of facing him. "Who's Eze?" he joked in his pre-match press conference. But Eze was determined to make his mark and did so in historic style, becoming the first Arsenal player since 1978 to score a hat-trick in a north London derby and inspiring the Gunners to a thumping 4-1 win. "It's special," he smiled to Sky Sports afterwards. "It's what I prayed for. I prayed for my hat-trick and I got it." But this was more than divine intervention. Mikel Arteta revealed Eze had cut short a day off in the lead-up to the game, such was his determination to be ready. Arsenal 4-1 Tottenham - Match report and highlightsLive PL table | Watch FREE PL highlightsArsenal news & transfers🔴| Arsenal fixtures & scoresTottenham news & transfers⚪ | Spurs fixtures & scores Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player FREE TO WATCH: Highlights from Arsenal's match against Spurs "Things happen for a reason," said the Arsenal boss. "After (👉 Read also: After nine defeats in 12, where is it going wrong for Liverpool?) the international duty, he had two days off and, after one day, he wanted to train and he wanted to improve and he wanted to do extra practice. He was asking me questions about this and that."When a player has such a talent and his desire is at that level, then these things happen." His desire to make an impact was clear from as early as the third minute of the game, when he put Declan Rice in on goal with a delightful, clipped pass. Rice wasted the opening, sending his shot too close to Guglielmo Vicario. Eze would make no such mistake. His first goal, when he made space in a crowded Spurs box, too quick for Rodrigo Bentancur and Joao Palhinha, before slamming a low finish through more white-shirted defenders, was a perfect example of the qualities that made him so attractive to Arsenal. Also See: Got Sky? Watch now on the Sky Sports app Not got Sky? Get instant access with no contract Watch FREE Premier League highlights Live Premier League table Eze has the technical skill to find room even in the tightest spaces and never passes up an opportunity to shoot. "Yeah, and it doesn't have to be perfect," smiled Arteta afterwards. "He can be right, left, ball on the ground, bouncing, ball at this height and he takes it. He has such a quality and capacity to finish actions in different ways."Eze demonstrated the same qualities for his second and third goals, only the finishes got even better. After finding the corner in ruthless style from Jurrien Timber's square ball, he allowed a desperate Destiny Udogie to slide past him before dispatching Leandro Trossard's pass, this time into the other corner of the net. Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player Gary Neville says Arsenal have sent a message to the rest of the Premier League w...
Eze gives Arsenal 'aura' of title-winners with Spurs masterclass
