Ljungberg tells Arteta: Give Eze more minutes after sublime North London Derby masterclass

Arsenal's demolition of Tottenham on Sunday served up a North London Derby reminder of the gulf in class, with a comprehensive 4-1 triumph putting the Gunners five points clear of Manchester City—who hold a game in hand—in the title race. Spurs, meanwhile, find themselves perilously close to the drop zone, just four points adrift.

The afternoon belonged to two Arsenal stars in particular: Eberechi Eze and Viktor Gyokeres both netted twice to dismantle their neighbours, but it was Eze's performance that has set tongues wagging about his future prominence in the side.

Having warmed the bench during midweek's draw with Wolves, Eze seized his opportunity against Spurs with both hands, delivering a masterclass that demanded immediate reassessment of his squad status. Freddie Ljungberg, watching from the sidelines as a pundit, wasted little time in offering his verdict to Arteta. "He's so ingrained from being at Palace, you have to always create something: you have a chance, you have to make something," the Arsenal legend observed. "He does that here and I think they should use him more than they do."

Arteta himself acknowledged Eze's contribution post-match, suggesting the playmaker's performance reflected his commitment to the cause. "He had that belief and I'm really happy with him. He's really trying to mold and adapt into what we want from him," the Arsenal boss said.

On the victory itself, Arteta expressed satisfaction with his team's approach. "I'm really happy, really proud about how we approached the game. The initiative and the quality we showed to come here and win the game in the way that we did," he explained, before adding perspective to the season's journey. "That is the beauty of football. When you look back at the game against Wolves, how did we draw that game from there? I was out with them every day and I know how much they want it. This is the Premier League, it will go all the way for sure. Ten games in the Premier League is a long way."

The plaudits for Eze extended beyond the Arsenal camp. Peter Schmeichel, the former Manchester United goalkeeper, was effusive in his praise, describing the 27-year-old as the kind of footballer worth the admission price alone. "He's such an elegant player. He's actually a really beautiful player to watch," Schmeichel remarked on Viaplay. "He's one of those players that you want to pay to come and watch him play. Arsenal haven't got many of those players, but him, it's brilliant when he's on that kind of form."

Jaap Stam, another ex-United defender, dissected what makes Eze such a nightmare proposition for opponents. "It must be a nightmare to play against him. If you see him move, he's taking up great positions and he's so comfortable on the ball," Stam said. "He knows what to do and he also has a clear understanding of what his team-mates are doing as well. He knows them and, with his one-touch football, he can find them. From there, he creates spaces for his team-mates but also for himself. It's always nice when you're playing in a team with those types of players because it gives you so much extra, so much quality technically, but, also, the goalscoring performances that he's putting out… it's great to see that."