Viktor Gyokeres was dropped from the Arsenal starting lineup against Sunderland at the Emirates.
The Sweden international started the Gunners’ previous two games and was expected to keep his place in the side against the Black Cats in the Premier League.
However, Mikel Arteta named Gyokeres on the bench and started Gabriel Jesus instead. The Brazilian didn’t have a great game and was replaced by the Arsenal number 14 at the hour mark.
The former Sporting CP man came on and scored a brilliant brace, taking his tally up to 13 goals in all competitions this season.
That is a fine record, and Arteta may have predicted this outcome when he decided to drop Gyokeres from his starting lineup at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday.
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What Mikel Arteta told Viktor Gyokeres after he was dropped from Arsenal XI vs Sunderland
Like every striker, Viktor Gyokeres would want to start every single game.
The 27-year-old was the first name on the team sheet every week during his time at Sporting, and that was the case in his first few months at Arsenal as well.
Since Jesus returned from his injury, Arteta has gone with the Brazilian on a few occasions, and he made the same decision against Sunderland as well.
After the game, the Arsenal manager revealed that he made one thing clear to Gyokeres after the striker found out that he wouldn’t be starting.
Arteta told Viaplay Fotball: “He’s in a really good run at the moment. When he saw the lineup and he wasn’t in, his reaction was immediately… ready!
“I told him: ‘You’re going to be coming on and you can make a huge impact!”
Jan Aage Fjortoft then asked Arteta if he told Gyokeres how many minutes he was going to get. The Spaniard replied: “Not the exact minutes because I don’t know that.
“But the fact that he was going to play a big part and we’re going to need him to win the game.”
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Viktor Gyokeres has been on a different level in 2026
Gyokeres will be the first one to admit that he had a tough start to life at Arsenal.
The former Coventry City striker took a while to adapt to the Premier League and its demands, but he has looked so much better since the turn of the year.
In fact, no player in the entire division has managed to score more goals than Gyokeres since the start of 2026. Brentford’s Igor Thiago is the only one who can match his tally.
That is a positive sign for Arsenal, as a fully fit and firing Gyokeres in the business end of the season could make a serious difference for the Gunners in their hunt to win all four trophies.
We won’t be surprised at all if the Swede ends the season with over 20 goals in all competitions.
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