Arteta hails 'aura' of Eze after stunning derby hat-trick

LONDON :Arsenal left it late to snatch Eberechi Eze from under the noses of their London rivals Tottenham Hotspur, signing the forward from Crystal Palace on transfer deadline day.

On Sunday, the 27-year-old boyhood Arsenal fan paid back a lump of that 60 million pounds ($79 million) fee with a stunning hat-trick in a 4-1 rout of Tottenham in his first north London derby.

Eze's appetite for the big stage was apparent with a memorable winner for Palace in last season's FA Cup final against Manchester City.

Before Sunday he had only scored one Premier League goal since arriving at The Emirates, but he chose the perfect day to make his biggest statement in an Arsenal shirt.

The England international struck either side of halftime with clinical finishes from the edge of the penalty area and rounded off a brilliant display with another unerring shot past Guglielmo Vicario in the 76th minute.

Arsenal were not short of forward options even before Eze's arrival but after his treble sent his team six points clear on Sunday, manager Mikel Arteta suggested Eze could become a key part of his attacking jigsaw.

"Things happen for a reason. And after the international duty, he had two days off, and after one day he wanted to train, and he wanted to improve," Arteta told reporters.

"He wanted to do extra practice and 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.

"And he fully deserves it. I'm so happy for him, because since the day that he came, he brought something else to the team. So it's a joy, it's an aura that this team needed."

WORLD CUP HOPES

After goals for England against Latvia and Serbia in October and November, Eze looks assured of a place