100-gun salute for Arsenal

Henry’s electrifying pace and cool finishing gave Arsenal a sixth minute lead and France team mate Robert Pires volleyed the second in the 28th minute to line up a comfortable win.

Cameroon defender Lauren headed Arsenal’s third midway through the second half, before Henry swept home his 100th for the club since joining from Juventus in August 1999.

The resounding victory restored Arsenal’s five-point lead over Manchester United at the top of the league table.

Spurs were behind after only 10 minutes of their game and twice squandered the lead before Keane’s opportunist final goal gave them a deserved victory after three straight defeats.

Newly-signed American striker Brian McBride put Everton ahead on his Premier League debut, before Gus Poyet levelled and Keane fired the hosts in front just after the break.

Steve Watson then equalised for Everton but Keane drilled home a superb low shot from outside the area, only for Canadian international striker Tomasz Radzinski to level matters again.

With seven minutes left and Spurs looking at only a point for all their efforts, Keane pounced on a defensive error by Alan Stubbs to beat former Spurs keeper Espen Baardsen, deputising for Richard Wright who was injured in the pre-match warm-up.

“It was my first hat-trick in the Premier League so it’s extra special — and my family came along today from Dublin,” Keane told Sky Sports.

The Irishman, who cost œ7 million ($11.26 million) when he joined from Leeds United last August, added: “It’s nice, but we made it hard for ourselves. Everton worked hard and we rode our luck sometimes, but luckily enough we got the three points.”

Keane’s manager Glenn Hoddle was delighted with his striker’s hat-trick.

“That actually has been waiting to happen all season. He could have had five goals today,” Hoddle said. “It was a wonderful individual performance.”

The win was an important one for Spurs who were humiliated in last weekend’s 4-0 FA Cup defeat at Southampton following league defeats by Southampton and Newcastle United.

Victory moved Spurs up to eighth in the standings on 35 points, trailing Liverpool only on goal difference and just a point behind sixth-placed Everton. (Reuters)