When Arsenal beat Inter Milan 3-1 in a UEFA Champions League league phase encounter on Wednesday, Gabriel Jesus took most of the plaudits as he netted the first two goals.
However, Viktor Gyokeres, who was signed in the summer from Sporting CP following his goalscoring prowess in Portugal, also grabbed the headlines. It was the Swede who netted the third goal, which was the icing on the cake on what was a good night for Arsenal.
The goal, a rocket from outside the box, made Gyokeres finally look like the £65 million wrecking ball. It was his ninth goal in all competitions since his high-profile summer move.
As Arsenal resume Premier League action against Manchester United, though, Gyokeres has netted just two open-play goals in 20 top-flight appearances. The Gunners are seven points clear at the top, but there is a feeling that they have won despite Gyokeres for the most part.
But his goal against Inter may have ignited a conversation on how he can unleash his potential. Exploiting a tiring Inter defence, Gabriel Martinelli unleashed a sweet ball over the top from deep that found Gyokeres, who held off a defender and exchanged a neat one-two with Bukayo Saka before scoring.
Jesus had tired out the defence with his willingness to drop deep and link up the play, before Gyokeres’ fresh legs completed the job. Striver.Football analyses how Arsenal can keep the big striker's newfound momentum going:
Many fans have claimed Gyokeres has not been getting enough service from his teammates, which has resulted in him emerging as a lesser goal threat.
The stats to vindicate this claim are damning, to say the least. At Sporting CP, Gyokeres was averaging 4.08 shots per 90. That number has dramatically plummeted at Arsenal to just 2.01. When you decipher that argument further, is it his teammates that are not passing enough, or are they the ones not moving enough?
Bukayo Saka, Arsenal's main man since his breakthrough, has created the most chances for Gyokeres. Those chances are just four, though. Leandro Trossard and Noni Madueke have each created three, while Declan Rice and Eberechi Eze have created two.
At Sporting CP, Gyokeres was dangerous attacking balls into space in transitions. Arsenal’s slow, possession-based, methodical approach means they try to walk the ball in.
The Gunners' average shot distance (14.6 yards) is the third-closest in the league. To unlock Gyokeres, perhaps his suppliers must seek to send in balls into space more often, like Martinelli’s pass against Inter.
Arsenal’s opponents tend to sit back and be compact against them. This has made it difficult for space to be easily created in the box. Gyokeres is shooting closer to goal than ever before. Data provided by The Athletic shows that at Coventry, he was shooting from an average distance of 17.5.
At Arsenal, he is shooting closer to goal than ever before at an average of 12 yards. While this sounds like a poacher’s dream, it’s actually a symptom of the low block. He is taking shots under massive pressure in congested boxes.
His rocket against Inter proves Mikel Arteta should encourage the Swede to shoot at sight more often whenever the opportunity arises.
Gyokeres has often come under criticism from pundits, fans and journalists alike for his lack of movement.
The 27-year-old needs to stop asking for the ball and start demanding it with his movement. At Sporting, he made double the sprints in behind compared to any other player in Portugal.
He may be up against more technical and physically imposing defenders in England than in Portugal, but he needs to rediscover that ability to drag players out of position with his pace.
When Arsenal play through the block rather than around it, Gyokeres has thrived. Against Chelsea, he played quite well, as seen when he assisted Martin Zubimendi for the third goal with a one-touch layoff.
Gyokeres is not a technical forward. He tends to be clumsy with the ball at his feet. Of the 33 center forwards in the Premier League who have clocked over 500 minutes, he is bottom for lost balls. He showed this during their 4-1 win over Aston Villa when he gave the ball away.
It led to a direct counterattack that Villa's Olie Watkins should have scored from. This shows his unreliability when it comes to ball control. However, restricting him to one-touch layoffs can improve his effectiveness.
Arsenal are currently fighting hard to compete for all four major trophies, which could be energy-sapping. With Jesus back fit and Kai Havertz also working his way back to full fitness, the pressure on Gyokeres to deliver will reduce.
Against Inter, Jesus softened up their low block by giving them a hard time for 75 minutes before Gyokeres was subbed on. He exploited tired legs when the game was open.
Gyokeres could become a general-purpose forward who can give Arsenal something different. His direct running during his Sporting CP days won him the Gerd Muller trophy and a £65 million move to Arsenal.
If they can manage to get this attribute out of the Swede, then the Premier League title that has long eluded them might finally be in their grasp come May.
