Viktor Gyokeres had a night to remember at Stamford Bridge as he added to his goal contribution tally twice.
Gyokeres scored and assisted against Chelsea, playing a direct role in two of the three goals the Gunners scored on the night.
It was thanks to the Swede that Arsenal are now just 90 minutes away from Wembley, taking a one-goal lead into the Carabao Cup semi-final second leg at the Emirates.
There were plenty of positives to take from Gyokeres’ performance, one being that he did something that no player has since the 2004/05 season.
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Viktor Gyokeres ended Arsenal’s 21-year wait to complete cup semi-final feat
It was back in 2005 when an Arsenal player last provided a goal and an assist in a domestic cup semi-final.
The player was Robert Pires, who contributed to two goals in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Blackburn Rovers in the 2004/05 edition of the FA Cup.
Against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup, Gyokeres became the first player since to score and assist in a domestic cup semi-final, as he put the ball in the net before setting up Martin Zubimendi.
Fill the blanks, Gyokeres has eight goals for Arsenal, but he’ll end the season with __.
Arsenal had to wait 21 years to see one of their own replicate what Pires did, but it wasn’t the only wait for glory that the Gunners experienced on the night.
Gyokeres scored his first goal from open play in ten matches, bringing his personal drought to an end, as well as Arsenal’s.
What Mikel Arteta had to say about Viktor Gyokeres’ performance against Chelsea
There’s hope that Gyokeres now has the confidence to build on his stellar showing against Chelsea, with high hopes in what the 27-year-old can produce going forward.
Was this Viktor Gyokeres’ best game in an Arsenal shirt? If not, what was?
After the game, Mikel Arteta made it known what he thought about Gyokeres’ performance, describing his striker as a constant threat.
“I think he had a great game, he was a real threat constantly,” Arteta told Arsenal’s official website.
“[He was] really supporting the team in the way that we actually needed today, he scored the goal, and he could have scored another one.”
Gyokeres only had 17 touches against Chelsea, but that’s all he needed to make an impact, providing himself with a platform to build upon.
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