Arsenal responds to title challenge with decisive derby victory over Spurs.

LONDON — Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyökeres each netted two goals in a decisive 4-1 victory for Arsenal in the north London derby, allowing the Gunners to regain their five-point advantage over Manchester City at the top of the Premier League with 10 matches left to play.

Eze, who made history as the first Arsenal player to achieve a Premier League hat trick against Spurs in a 4-1 triumph at the Emirates last November, continued his scoring streak against the team he turned down to join his childhood club from Crystal Palace last summer, scoring twice. Gyökeres, who scored two goals in the second half, delivered his finest performance since his transfer from Sporting CP last summer. Although Randal Kolo Muani briefly provided Spurs with hope by equalizing Eze’s first-half goal, new coach Igor Tudor faced a significant defeat in his debut match, leaving his team in a precarious position in the relegation battle at the lower end of the table.

With City applying pressure on Arsenal following a 2-1 home victory against Newcastle on Saturday, Mikel Arteta’s squad demonstrated resilience to secure a win against their local rivals, sending a clear message to City that they are determined to pursue their first league title since 2004. — Mark Ogden

Braces from Viktor Gyökeres and Eberechi Eze give Arsenal their 5th North London Derby win in a row! pic.twitter.com/8swPaZX0YU

— NBC Sports Soccer (@NBCSportsSoccer) February 22, 2026

Arsenal respond to mounting pressure

Despite Tottenham’s ongoing difficulties, this match was seen as a significant test of Arsenal’s resolve after they dropped four points against Brentford and Wolves in the last 10 days.

Manchester City intensified the pressure with a 2-1 victory over Newcastle, narrowing the gap to just two points at kick-off. When Kolo Muani equalized in the 34th minute, intercepting Declan Rice and finishing from a tight angle past David Raya, Arsenal could have easily faltered again. However, the disparity in quality between the two teams was evident, and for once, Arsenal maintained their focus and translated that superiority into the scoreline.

While a victory was anticipated given Spurs had only 13 senior fit players available and had won just two home league matches all season, this result should alleviate — if not eliminate — concerns regarding Arsenal’s composure with three months remaining. — James Olley

Let’s not deny it: Spurs are in a relegation battle

Igor Tudor now faces 11 league matches to rescue Tottenham Hotspur from relegation in the Premier League. It may seem unbelievable, but it is a reality that everyone at the club must quickly acknowledge.

Sunday’s heavy loss left Spurs just four points above West Ham, who currently occupy the third relegation position, while the Hammers, Nottingham Forest, and Leeds have all shown signs of potential escape from the drop zone in recent weeks. In contrast, Spurs have yet to win a league match in 2026, and they appear unlikely to end that streak if they continue to lack a goal-scoring threat.

Their upcoming match is a challenging away fixture against in-form London rivals Fulham, followed by a potentially pivotal home game against Crystal Palace on March 5. Alongside Spurs, West Ham, Leeds, and Forest, Palace is another team in the five-way struggle to avoid relegation, and their form is nearly as poor as Tottenham’s, with Oliver Glasner’s future as coach remaining a significant concern.

Spurs have the matches to extricate themselves from trouble, but when a team hasn’t won since December and lacks quality and tenacity, it poses a significant issue. Spurs are facing that issue, and denial about their current situation could lead them toward an unimaginable relegation. — Ogden

Eze excels and Gyökeres produces his most important goal

Among the numerous failed transfer attempts Tottenham has experienced, their failure to acquire Eberechi Eze from Crystal Palace last summer is likely one of the most haunting. Spurs had reached a £60m agreement with Palace, only for Eze to opt for the Gunners at the last moment.

How has he performed? The 27-year-old has scored seven goals for Arsenal this season, five of which have come against Tottenham. Remarkably, Eze’s strike in the 32nd minute on Sunday was his first shot on target in the league since his hat trick in the November fixture.

While Eze has struggled for consistent playing time this season, Viktor Gyökeres has faced challenges under the expectations following his summer transfer from Sporting Lisbon. He was not entirely convincing again on Sunday, but his impressive strike in the 47th minute likely stands as the most crucial goal he has scored for the Gunners. It may surprise some to learn it was his 14th of the season, but many of those goals have come against weaker opponents or late in matches with the outcome already decided.

Spurs currently sit 16th in the league, but the match was still in contention when Gyökeres collected the ball at the edge of the box and finished decisively to restore the visitors’ lead. This moment continues a recent upward trend for him, and he built on it further in stoppage time, scoring a goal reminiscent of those seen more frequently to reach 15, muscling his way in on goal and curling the ball in from a tight angle as Arsenal launched a quick counter-attack. — Olley

Tottenham fans buy into Tudor … for now

Less than half an hour into the game, Spurs fans began chanting “Igor Tudor’s blue and white army,” providing at least one positive for the new Tottenham coach during a challenging first match in charge.

The discontent of Spurs fans led to Thomas Frank’s dismissal after half a season in charge, indicating that the supporters’ voices can influence decisions at the highest levels of clubs. Although the Spurs management initially resisted calls for Frank’s departure, the combination of poor results and fan dissatisfaction ultimately resulted in his exit earlier this month.

It is still early in Tudor’s tenure, but the Spurs fans were never supportive of former Brentford coach Frank, so the fact that he has already garnered some backing from the supporters is a foundation on which he can build.

Tudor was an unconventional choice, and many fans were — and may still be — skeptical of the former Lazio and Juventus manager, but the determination and effort displayed by the Spurs players early in this match reflected Tudor’s management and motivation, which impressed the supporters. The result, however, did not, and Spurs have a long road ahead, but the fans appear to have faith in their new coach for the time being. — Ogden

Arsenal’s individual errors continue, but aren’t costly this time

Shortly after Eze put Arsenal ahead 1-0, Declan Rice was seen on the pitch urging his celebrating teammates to remain focused and alert. This message echoed his comments in the lead-up to Sunday’s derby, emphasizing the need to eliminate individual errors that had recently cost Arsenal. Yet, just two minutes later, Rice was dispossessed deep in his own half by Kolo Muani, who turned and executed a low finish past David Raya to equalize at 1-1.

This marked the fourth such error leading to a goal in 2026 alone, following mistakes by Gabriel Magalhães against Bournemouth, Martín Zubimendi against Manchester United, and a mix-up between Gabriel and Raya at Wolves. This time, it did not result in a loss of three points, but there remains work to be done to prevent making matches more difficult for themselves, as Rice rightly pointed out beforehand. — Olley