Mikel Arteta was a happy man after his Arsenal side beat Everton.
The Gunners needed that win to return to the top of the Premier League table, and they were the better side for large parts of the game.
Viktor Gyokeres scored the only goal of the clash, and that came from the penalty spot after Jake O’Brien handled the ball inside the box.
Arteta has now shed some light on the decision to allow the Swede to take the spot kick.
Give us your three-word review on Arsenal’s win over Everton
Mikel Arteta says Martin Odegaard and Bukayo Saka decided to give the penalty to Viktor Gyokeres
Bukayo Saka has been Arsenal’s first-choice penalty taker for many years now.
The England international is normally exceptional from the spot, and he has converted a number of high-pressure penalties in the past.
However, on Saturday, Gyokeres was given the ball, perhaps to help him regain his confidence after a poor run recently.
Mikel Arteta was asked after the game if it was his decision to hand over penalty duties to the Swede.
The Arsenal manager revealed that nobody asked for his permission. It was decided by Saka and skipper Martin Odegaard.
Arteta loved seeing that.
He said, as per Arsenal.com: “They took ownership on the pitch between Martin, Bukayo and him to decide who was the taker, and they made a great decision because Viktor put the ball in the back of the net.”
He later added: “Great decision! Yes, I agree with that and as well the confidence of the player, because obviously he practises every day and he’s unbelievable at it, and he put the ball in the back of the net.
“I love when players take ownership and decide by themselves what is the best decision. That’s something really positive.”
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Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are all more than capable
History shows Viktor Gyokeres could explode after his Everton penalty
Saturday night wasn’t the first time Odegaard and Saka decided to hand a penalty to another player.
Back in the 2023/24 season, when Kai Havertz was struggling to find the net, the two Arsenal leaders gave him the opportunity to take a penalty against Bournemouth.
That decision was ridiculed at the time, with many even calling it a pity penalty, but it completely changed Havertz’s season.
After that goal against the Cherries, Havertz went on to score 13 more times and also provided eight assists. He was one of Arsenal’s best players in the second half of that campaign.
The penalty at Everton on Saturday night could have the same impact on Gyokeres. If he goes on to score 13 more goals from now until the end of the season, the Gunners will likely win the Premier League title.
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