Jamie Redknapp accused Mikel Arteta of ‘mismanaging’ Eberechi Eze before he played a starring role in Arsenal’s north London derby win over Tottenham.

Eze scored a hat-trick in the first north London derby of the season and produced another impressive performance in Sunday’s 4-1 win at Spurs.

The former Crystal Palace attacker, who was close to joining Tottenham last summer, gave Arsenal the lead midway through the first half with a superb finish.

Spurs went up the other end and equalised through Randal Kolo Muani but Arsenal quickly reasserted their dominance over their north London rivals.

Viktor Gyokeres restored Arsenal’s lead straight after half-time with a thumping strike before Eze added a third on the hour mark.

Gyokeres rounded off an impressive derby win over Tottenham with his second and Arsenal’s fourth as the Gunners restored their five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.

Five of Eze’s six league goals for Arsenal have come against Spurs and Redknapp described his performance as ‘wonderful’.

Eze’s underwhelming form was once again a talking point before the north London derby and Redknapp believes Arteta ‘mismanaged’ his £67.5m summer signing earlier in the season.

‘Eberechi Eze made a mistake against Aston Villa at one point and came out of the team a bit after that,’ Redknapp said before Sunday’s derby.

‘But I do think the manager has mismanaged him. He’s a player who needs confidence, we saw that at Crystal Palace where he was great.’

Speaking after Arsenal’s derby win, Redknapp added on Sky Sports: ‘They were magnificent today. You just felt there was control about this Arsenal side.

‘It was a complete mismatch. They were in different leagues, Arsenal were so classy. They were so much better than Tottenham, it was like two different leagues.

‘If Tottenham aren’t careful, they might be in a different league. They cannot keep performing like this.

‘Gyokeres led the line brilliantly, Eze was wonderful. It was a brilliant performance. Arsenal were fantastic, far too good for Tottenham.’

Eze was delighted with both his and Arsenal’s performance against Tottenham and said the Gunners ‘dominated’ their north London rivals.

‘We played with dominance today,’ Eze said. ‘We played with confidence and just the connection that we had on the pitch.

‘I think it was a special performance from us and something that we can continue to build on and something to work towards our goals.

‘We know what these types of games are. We know the energy that the fans are bringing and how we need to be emotionally ready for the games as well.

‘I think we’ve done so well with that and we took advantage of that for sure. These games are all about momentum and being in the moment.

‘I’m just thankful to God for the opportunities that we took today. We worked so hard, we gave everything and when we perform like this it motivates us.’

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Gary Neville was full of praise for Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres as the Gunners got their Premier League title charge back on track with a north London win over Tottenham.

The league leaders dominated their arch-rivals in the opening 45 minutes and took the lead through Eberechi Eze, who was close to joining Spurs last summer.

Eze, who scored a hat-trick in the corresponding fixture at the Emirates Stadium, had agreed a move to Tottenham before Arsenal hijacked the deal and poached him from Crystal Palace.

Arsenal were well worth their 32nd-minute opener but the hosts responded immediately and equalised less than two minutes later through Randal Kolo Muani.

Kolo Muani dispossessed an unusually casual Declan Rice and managed to get a shot away that beat Arsenal goalkeeper David Raya.

Rice was seen urging his teammates to switch on after Eze’s goal but was soon apologising for his part in Tottenham’s leveller.

Fortunately for Rice and Arsenal the blunder did not prove costly as the Gunners reasserted their dominance after the break and retook the lead through Gyokeres’ emphatic strike.

Arsenal were pegged back by Brentford and Wolves in their last two league games but there was to be no repeat here, with Eze scoring his second of the afternoon to all but put the game to bed.

Gyokeres scored again in injury-time to cap off an impressive performance from both the striker and Arsenal, who maintain their dominance over north London rivals Tottenham.

Gyokeres endured an underwhelming start to his Arsenal career but the £64m summer signing now has seven goals since the turn of the New Year.

Neville was hugely impressed by Gyokeres’ performance against Spurs and said it was his ‘best’ display in an Arsenal shirt for a while.

‘He looks really lively and smart, Gyokeres,’ Neville said after the Sweden international restored Arsenal’s lead at Tottenham.

‘It’s the best I’ve seen him for a while. It’s a great moment for him. He’s still got a lot to do when it comes to him – and he hasn’t always been smooth – but it’s a wonderful finish.

‘Gyokeres has had one of his best games for Arsenal, he’s been a real nuisance. It’s the best I’ve seen him in a big game.

‘He’s never going to be the prettiest striker but he deserves that award. He’s looked sharper today as well, it’s the most involved he’s been in a Premier League game.’

Former Manchester United and England defender Neville was less impressed by Rice’s ‘stupid’ mistake for Tottenham’s equaliser.

‘You cannot believe that,’ he said on Sky Sports. ‘Declan Rice has just joined his backline in making an error, this time it’s a really poor one.

‘Rice tries to dribble past Kolo Muani, who still has a lot to do. Saliba has got to be more aggressive than that, hasn’t he? It’s a nothing challenge and his mate, Gabriel, can’t get across.

‘We’ve seen a few of those stupid little errors from Arsenal’s senior players. Tottenham have had nothing in this game, Arsenal were so comfortable but there’s been a few lapses of concentration and its contagious and it has to stop otherwise they’ll be in trouble.

‘Rice was telling everyone to concentrate after Arsenal’s goal but then it’s so loose from him. I think Saliba could do better but Rice holds his hands up because he knows it was his mistake.’

Arsenal’s north London derby win means Mikel Arteta’s side restore their five-point lead over second-placed Manchester City with 11 games remaining.

Tottenham, meanwhile, stay 16th but are now just four points above the relegation zone.

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Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal LIVE Score: Arsenal will be hoping to hold on to their lead at the top of the Premier League table when they face Tottenham Hotspur in the second ‘North London Derby’ of the ongoing season. The Gunners have been sitting top of the table for a majority of the season but find their lead getting increasingly slim with each passing game in recent weeks.

Tottenham, on the other hand, are four points off the drop zone and have appointed Igor Tudor as the caretaker manager until the end of the season after firing Thomas Frank from the role. While Arsenal will be aiming to maintain their lead over City in the upcoming clash, it could also be crucial for the Spurs in their bid to avoid relegation and remain in the English top flight.

Can Arsenal complete a double against Spurs? 

Arsenal had thrashed Tottenham 4-1 at the Emirates Stadium when the two teams had met earlier this season, and are favourites to complete a double heading into Sunday’s clash. Eberechi Eze had fired the Gunners to victory with a hat-trick back then, and will be expected to play a similar role in Sunday’s clash in the capital.

Coming to the present, however, the Gunners enter Sunday’s contest on the back of consecutive draws, having dropped points in their away clashes against Brentford as well as against Wolves. They had bounced back from their 2-3 defeat against Manchester United with a 4-0 thrashing of Leeds United that was followed by a 3-0 victory over Sunderland at home.

The Spurs, meanwhile, are winless in their last five games across competitions, having suffered a 1-2 defeat at the hands of Newcastle United in their last outing. It was that loss against Newcastle that was the tipping point for the club’s board,
which sacked manager Thomas Frank shortly after.

Igor Tudor has been appointed as the caretaker manager until the end of the season since then, and will be hoping to begin his reign on a winning note, however unlikely the prospect.

Tottenham Hotspur vs Arsenal, Premier League Starting XIs

Tottenham Hotspur: Vicario; Gray, Dragusin, Van de Ven, Spence; Palhinha, Gallagher, Bissouma; Sarr, Kolo Muani, Simons.

Arsenal: Raya; Timber, Saliba, Gabriel, Hincapie; Zubimendi, Rice, Eze; Saka, Gyokeres, Trossard.