Eberechi Eze’s brace powered Arsenal to a derby win over Tottenham, while Liverpool scored a dramatic late winner against Nottingham Forest

EBERECHI EZE haunted Tottenham Hotspur once more with a double that helped Arsenal restore a five-point lead at the Premier League summit with a 4-1 victory on Sunday.

The Gunners responded to recent pressure after back-to-back draws had allowed Manchester City to close the gap. Mikel Arteta’s side inflicted a painful defeat on their local rivals in Igor Tudor’s first match as Tottenham’s interim manager.

Eze, who nearly joined Spurs before his move from Crystal Palace last August, opened the scoring just after the half-hour mark. Tottenham levelled almost immediately through Randal Kolo Muani, but Viktor Gyokeres restored Arsenal’s lead early in the second half.

Eze then rolled in his second after Guglielmo Vicario denied Bukayo Saka, with Gyokeres adding a fourth in stoppage time. “I think you have to bring context to the situation and this is the beauty of football,” said Arteta.

“We lift everyone up immediately. Now we have to show what we are made of.” The win gives Arsenal crucial breathing space in their title quest, while Tottenham remain just four points above the relegation zone.

“It was a difficult game,” said Tudor. “It was a lesson!”

Meanwhile, Liverpool needed a 97th-minute winner from Alexis Mac Allister to secure a 1-0 victory at Nottingham Forest. The Reds’ performance was largely underwhelming against a Forest side under new manager Vitor Pereira.

Mac Allister had a goal ruled out for handball in the closing stages before finally breaking the deadlock, sweeping home a rebound after Virgil van Dijk’s header was saved. The result lifts Liverpool level on points with Chelsea and Manchester United.

“I love scoring, I love winning, so in that sense I think it’s a really good day,” said Mac Allister. “But on the other hand, I don’t think we played very well. There’s plenty of things we need to improve.”

In Sunday’s other fixtures, Fulham won 3-1 at Sunderland with a Raul Jimenez double. Crystal Palace also secured a vital 1-0 win over 10-man Wolves thanks to Evann Guessand’s 90th-minute goal.

 The Sun Malaysia