Jamie Carragher has issued an apology to Eberechi Eze after the Arsenal midfielder’s sensational hat-trick in the north London derby forced the former Liverpool defender to reassess his earlier scepticism over the signing.
Eze’s standout display in the 4-1 victory over Tottenham not only helped propel Arsenal six points clear at the top of the Premier League, but also prompted a public admission from Carragher that he had “undervalued” the transfer.
The £67.5million summer signing, who came close to joining Spurs before Arsenal hijacked the move, produced a commanding performance at the Emirates Stadium, scoring three times after Leandro Trossard opened the scoring.
His clinical impact sealed an emphatic win against the club who had spent months trying to recruit him.
The display also marked the culmination of a gradual rise into the starting XI after initially being viewed as rotational cover for Martin Odegaard.
Speaking on Sky Sports, Carragher accepted that his pre-season assessment had been wrong.
“His signing, which I felt to be fair, would just be as a backup to Odegaard,” he said.
Five facts about the Premier League | PA/GETTY/REUTERS/GBNEWS
Jamie Carragher has issued an apology to Eberechi Eze after the Arsenal midfielder’s sensational hat-trick in the north London derby forced the former Liverpool defender to reassess his earlier scepticism over the signing
|SKYSPORTS
“When Eze came I thought maybe he wasn’t a game-changer. Apologies.
“I certainly undervalued the importance of that signing and he looks like he can make the difference for them and they can go on and win the title.”
The midfielder’s first goal triggered anger from Tottenham supporters, who insisted it should have been ruled out for offside as both Martin Zubimendi and Trossard appeared to be standing in Guglielmo Vicario’s line of sight.
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Eberechi Eze's sublime hat-trick has moved Arsenal six points clear at the top of the Premier League table | REUTERSVAR reviewed the incident but allowed the decision to stand.
The Premier League’s Match Centre later clarified the decision, stating: “The referee’s call of goal was checked and confirmed by VAR - with it deemed that there were no Arsenal players in the line of vision of the goalkeeper.
"They made no movement to impact an opponent while in an offside position.”
Eze, speaking after the final whistle with visible delight, celebrated both the result and his personal milestone.
“That’s a good one man. Enjoyable day. Happy to help the team and to win today was special,” he said.
The midfielder described the moment as beyond words, crediting faith and family as central to the occasion.
Eberechi Eze was the star of the show as Arsenal thumped Tottenham in Sunday's north London derby
| REUTERS“It is special. Words can’t explain this one today. I am grateful. I prayed for it. This is what I pray for," he added.
"I prayed for a hat-trick so I am grateful to God. That was the prayer today.
"God gave it to me and that is faith, man. All my family is here and that makes it even more special for me.”
Now, the onus will be on Arsenal to maintain their momentum.
They have finished runners-up in each of the past three seasons but, in the wake of Manchester City's shock 2-1 defeat away at Newcastle, are the favourites to secure the crown.
Whether they can continue their impressive form when they face Bayern Munich in the Champions League on Wednesday night remains to be seen.