PREMIER LEAGUE
SUNDAY 23RD NOVEMBER, 2025
4.30pm
ARSENAL 4(2) TOTTENHAM HOTSPUR 1(0)

Arsenal scorers:-
Trossard, 36
Eze, 41, 46, 76

Spurs scorer:-
Richarlison, 55

Attendance:- 60,345

Referee:- Michael Oliver
Assistants:- Stuart Burt, James Mainwaring
Fourth official:- Michael Salisbury
VAR:- Stuart Attwell
Assistant VAR:- Constantine Hatzidakis

Teams:-
Arsenal (4-4-3):- 1. Raya; 12. Timber, 3. Saliba, 5. Hincapie (sub 3. Mosquera, 88), 33. Calafiori (sub 49. Lewis-Skelly, 90+2); 10. Eze, 36. Zubimendi, 41. Rice; 7. Saka (Capt.), 23. Merino (sub 22. Nwaneri, 88), 19. Trossard (sub 20. Madueke, 78)

Subs not used:- 13. Kepa; 4. White; 16. Norgaard, 56. Dowman; 11. Martinelli,

Booked:- Rice (foul on Xavi)

Spurs (3-4-3):- 1. Vicario; 4. Danso (sub 7. Xavi, 46), 17. Romero (Capt.), 37. Van de Ven; 24. Spence (sub 23. Pedro Porro, 78), 6. Palhinha, 30. Bentancur (sub 39. Kolo-Muani, 66) 13. Udogie; 20. Kudus (sub 22. Johnson, 78), 9. Richarlison, 28. Odobert (sub 29. Sarr, 66)

Subs not used:- 31. Kinsky; 14. Gray, ; 15. Bergvall; 11. Tel

Booked:- Bentancur (foul on Saka), Romero (dissent), Pedro Porro (unsporting conduct)

All too easy for Eze and Arsenal

Thanks to Eugene Gasper for the picture

Losing to Arsenal is always hard to bear. Losing 4-1 and conceding a hat-trick to Ebere Eze (the man who shunned us in the summer) is quite another. Quite frankly (Thomas), this defeat was nothing short of a disgrace, and unfortunately not the first by a three-goal margin at The Emirates.

Richarlison's wonder goal (think Sarr in the pre-season friendly against the same team) was no consolation for our no-show in the first half when we failed to register a shot, and played a dismally failed defensive strategy with what turned out to be a 5-4-1 formation. Five when defending you might say. Oh, but we were always defending. Richarlison was our most advanced player, but all too often he was only 35-40 yards from our goal.

Referee Michael Oliver even had words with our captain to suggest that the strategy of Vicario ambling up to the 40 yard mark to take a long free kick was using too much time. So it was.

Arsenal were missing ace defender Gabriel, without whom their win ratio is much decreased, Odegaard and Gyokeres, but no matter - they were only playing Spurs, who in the deafening words of their fans, "…will always be…" (something that rhymes with it).

If Frank's defensive strategy was a preparation for Wednesday night in Paris, we are in for another pasting. He made five changes with Kevin Danso playing in a back three, Udogie, Kudus, Odobert and Bentancur replacing Pedro Porro, Pape Sarr, Xavi Simons, Brennan Johnson, and Kolo-Muani, who started on the bench, but all saw action.

Spurs kicked off, playing away from our fans, destined for sufferance and agonising defeat. The stewards weren't even prepared to let the first stream of visiting fans leave on the stroke of Eze's second goal, which was Arsenal's third. Eze would become the first Arsenal player to score an NLD hat-trick since Alan Sunderland in 1978. That was the infamous 5-0 at The Lane on December 23rd.

Vicario's first save came after two minutes. Saka passed inside; Eze chipped the ball over our defence where Rice made contact. Danso involuntarily put the rebound out for a corner.

Most of the action was in our half. Trossard needed treatment after a tackle by Palhinha which was not a foul. Palhinha has been the Premier League player with most tackles this season, and he made a few more today.

Arsenal had a free kick after Udogie's foul on Saka, who took the kick, but too high. Arsenal's dead-ball speciality today was to have six players in a line beyond the target area, running into the centre after the kick was taken, to confuse the Spurs defence. They probably didn't need to be so extravagant.

Spurs' biggest achievement of the first half was when Richarlison won an attacking throw on the left. Cue Danso to throw into the area, where Arsenal cleared with ease.

Bentancur was booked for a foul on Saka, whose kick was saved by Vicario diving to his right. The inevitable opener for Arsenal resulted from another ball over the defence. Trossard beat any semblance of an offside trap (Udogie had retreated too far) and scored with ease. Only five minutes later, it was 2-0. Arsenal attacked down the right and the ball fell to Rice about 30 yards out in too much space. Rice fed Eze, who scored despite close defending. The ball actually went through Van de Ven's legs as he attempted to block.

Inevitably, Thomas Frank changed tack at half-time. Danso was replaced by Xavi, and we reverted to 4-2-3-1. Unfortunately, Xavi was one of our players dispossessed on the left touchline. Timber passed inside to Eze, who had too much space and this time, for a bit of variety, scored with a left-footed shot. Naturally, he celebrated to the full, as did the home fans. Eze has won himself a place in NLD history today. Sadly, most of that history favours the red quarter.

Some Spurs fans had had enough and missed our one moment of wonder. Palhinha dispossessed an Arsenal player in the middle and Richarlison seized the opportunity to lift a 40 yard shot over Raya.

We managed another shot on goal when Odobert passed short to Xavi, whose low effort was held by Raya. So far, Spurs were at least drawing the second half. On came a masked Kolo Muani and Pape Sarr for Odobert and Bentancur.

Van de Ven defended well against the threat of Saka after Merlino's pass from the left. Romero was booked when he over-enthusiastically questioned a decision by the referee. It's his fifth booking and he'll have to sit out next Saturday night's Fulham game.

Saka had another chance with his left foot. Vicario pushed the ball away with a dive to the right. There was some desperate defending after Rice's corner with Saliba closest to goal, but it wasn't long before Eze had his hat-trick. Trossard was his provider, and the former Palace man used his right foot this time. Most of the remaining Spurs fans now departed. Eze might even have had a fourth goal, but good old Vicario saved again.

So ended another sad day for Tottenham Hotspur. The lessons being, if you are going to set out to defend, at least do that properly. There's no "out" ball if your most advanced player isn't far outside your own area.

Until today, Spurs were the only one of the 92 full football league sides who were unbeaten away from home. Newcastle, West Ham, and Bournemouth all beat Arsenal here last season. Bournemouth even did the "double" - something we haven't done since 1992-3.

We are still in the top half of the table and we're above Liverpool. Life's not all bad, is it?

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