Before their second-half collapse, Sheffield United offered stubborn resistance, doubling up effectively on Saka, Arsenal’s captain for the day with Martin Odegaard benched, as the hosts struggled to break them down in the opening 25 minutes.
But it all changed with the opening goal, when Rice, outstanding in midfield, picked out Nketiah with a low cross. The 24-year-old took the ball away from Aaron Trusty with a deft first touch before slotting a clinical finish into the bottom corner.
The goal came from Arsenal’s first shot on target and helped Arteta’s side find their flow, with Gabriel Martinelli a persistent source of danger as his powerful effort from Saka’s pass inside the box forced Foderingham into an athletic save.
Arsenal were in complete control at that point and Nketiah’s second arrived shortly after half-time as Foderingham palmed Saka’s inswinging corner into the danger area and the striker punished the error ruthlessly, firing a first-time finish high into the net.
Nketiah’s first two goals showed his poaching instincts but his third demonstrated he can do it from long-distance too as he collected Smith Rowe’s pass, turned, and launched a stunning drive back across Foderingham and into the top corner.
Arsenal continued to pour forward, with Ben White drawing a save from Foderingham and Tomiyasu firing narrowly wide, and their fourth goal arrived after a lengthy VAR check, with Oliver Norwood eventually penalised for a foul on Vieira just inside the box.
It seemed Nketiah would take the resulting spot kick, but he handed the ball over to Vieira, who rolled a low effort into the net before Tomiyasu hooked home the fifth from close range following a corner.
Arsenal could have had a sixth late on, with Kai Havertz firing into the side netting, while their hapless opponents failed to even register a shot on target.
As Arsenal and Nketiah celebrated a confidence-building victory, Paul Heckingbottom’s side were left to reflect on an increasingly miserable return to the top flight.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said of hat-trick hero Eddie Nketiah: “For me, he is top level.
“He has started [eight] out of the 10 Premier League games, so that tells you how much we and I trust him and the importance he has in the team.
“Really happy for him, an academy player, to experience a hat-trick in the Premier League. He needs to enjoy the moment, he fully deserves it, and hopefully there are many more to come.”
Asked how he compares to Jesus, Arteta added: “I don’t like comparing. I think they are very different.
“Eddie brings different qualities to the team. He’s got an eye for goal. You look at the stats from his last 10 years, what he has done is remarkable.
“He needs minutes and opportunities and service and if he gets that, Eddie is going to score goals, that is for sure.
“How good is he now? He is already playing for Arsenal, he has started eight games in the Premier League. He is already really, really good. He can be better, yes.
“The best thing about Eddie is the talent that he has got, but especially mentality. It’s incredible. When he has that mentality, with that talent, obviously he is going to get much better.”
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