Arsenal news: Viktor Gyokeres ‘devastated’ as Mikel Arteta ‘trusts another player more’
Mirror Football brings you all the latest Arsenal news from the Emirates Stadium
Arsenal had to settle for a point against a 10-man Chelsea team on Sunday. There was no love lost between the two London giants throughout the scrappy and heated match at Stamford Bridge, which ended 1-1.
Enzo Maresca’s Blues dominated the first half but suffered a major blow as Moises Caicedo was sent off in the 38th minute for a rash challenge on Mikel Merino. However, the home side took the lead immediately after half-time through Trevoh Chalobah, before Merino equalized with his header in the 59th minute, meeting Bukayo Saka’s perfectly delivered cross.
It ends a difficult week for the Gunners, whose lead at the top of the Premier League table was reduced to five points after Manchester City’s victory. But Mikel Arteta will always be proud of his players after beating Tottenham 4-1 and Bayern Munich 3-1 to maintain their momentum both domestically and in Europe.
NOW, Mirror football brings you two of the latest Arsenal stories following the London derby as the north Londoners turn their attention to Brentford at home on Wednesday evening.
LEARN MORE: Mikel Arteta given major Arsenal injury boost as £45m star posts three-word messageLEARN MORE: All injured Arsenal players and their potential return date ahead of Brentford clash
Viktor Gyokeres ‘devastated’
Arsenal legend Ian Wright says he would be devastated if he was Viktor Gyokeres after the Chelsea game. The £64 million summer signing made his return from injury to the bench at Stamford Bridge, coming on as a substitute in the 72nd minute for Eberechi Eze as Arsenal chased down the winner.
After seeing very little of the ball, the Swedish striker finally had a golden opportunity to score his seventh goal for the club in the dying seconds after Piero Hincapie fired in a cross from the left. Gyokeres ran into the six-yard box and rose to meet the ball unmarked, only for teammate Jurrien Timber to arrive in front of him and head past him.
Some, including Wright, later expressed their opinion that Gyokeres should have made it clear, unequivocally, that it was his ball and ordered Timber to move out of the way. Wright was stunned the attacker wasn’t more assertive, saying he would have been “devastated” in his shoes.
Wright said: “I think about Gyokeres… if it’s me, I’m going to scream so loud that anyone in front of me is going to drop out (of the way). That’s what I’ve always been told, you have to scream and let them know you’re coming because then Timber moves his head and Gyokeres comes in and gets a clean header.
“I would be devastated by that, he needs to let him know, Viktor Gyokeres needs to let Jurrien Timber know, ‘I’m coming’, because it’s a huge missed opportunity.”
Walcott’s striker prediction
Gyokeres was given a reality check by another former Arsenal striker after the match. Theo Walcott has claimed that, despite Gyokeres and Kai Havertz returning from injury, Arteta will stick with makeshift No.9 Mikel Merino rather than the former for high-stakes matches in the future.
Merino, originally signed as a midfielder, has thrived whenever he has been deployed in a false nine role since the turn of the year. He once again showed his scoring abilities against the Blues on Sunday.
Speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports, Walcott said: “I think Mikel Merino is more reliable in big games, he’s a player you know what you’re going to get. He’s got so much more experience in these games, I think Gyokeres will be more of an impact player in big games.
“He trusts Merino a lot more and it will probably do Gyokeres a lot of good to watch from the outside and learn a lot from what Merino is doing.”
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