Arsenal F.C. midfielder Eberechi Eze once again proved decisive against Tottenham Hotspur F.C., scoring twice in a commanding 4-1 victory on Sunday to restore Arsenal’s five-point lead at the top of the Premier League.
Elsewhere, Liverpool F.C. needed a dramatic 97th-minute strike from Alexis Mac Allister to edge Nottingham Forest F.C. 1-0.
Eze, who nearly joined Spurs before sealing a move from Crystal Palace F.C. to Arsenal in August, netted his first goals since his hat-trick in November’s north London derby. With back-to-back draws against Brentford and Wolves allowing Manchester City to close the gap, Mikel Arteta’s side needed a response — and delivered emphatically.
Restored to the starting XI after limited minutes in recent weeks, the England international opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark. Tottenham responded swiftly through Randal Kolo Muani, but Arsenal regained control in the second half.
Viktor Gyokeres put the Gunners back in front early after the break with his most important goal yet for the club. Eze then grabbed his second, calmly finishing after Guglielmo Vicario denied Bukayo Saka. Gyokeres sealed the win in stoppage time to underline Arsenal’s dominance.
Although Manchester City still have a game in hand and will host Arsenal in April, the win gives the Gunners valuable breathing space in their pursuit of a first league title in 22 years. Tottenham, meanwhile, sit just four points above the relegation zone.
Liverpool leave it late
At the City Ground, Mac Allister rescued a vital win for Liverpool in their push for Champions League qualification. Despite admitting the performance was far from convincing, the Argentine’s late rebound — after Virgil van Dijk’s header was saved — secured all three points.
Forest, under their fourth manager of the season, Vitor Pereira, looked set for a hard-earned draw. Mac Allister earlier had a goal disallowed for handball after blocking Ola Aina’s clearance.
The result leaves Liverpool sixth but level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United, and within six of Aston Villa. Forest, meanwhile, are just two points above the relegation zone.
Other results
Fulham F.C. climbed into the top half with a 3-1 win over Sunderland A.F.C. at the Stadium of Light, thanks to a brace from Raul Jimenez.
Crystal Palace F.C. eased pressure at Selhurst Park with a 1-0 victory over 10-man Wolverhampton Wanderers F.C.. Evann Guessand struck in the 90th minute to secure just Palace’s second win in 16 matches. Wolves had earlier seen Tolu Arokodare’s penalty saved by Dean Henderson before Ladislav Krejci was sent off for kicking the ball away.