Arsenal beat Everton on Saturday evening, in what must have been an incredibly satisfying victory for Viktor Gyokeres.
The Arsenal striker scored the opening goal of the game from the penalty spot, and that goal will have taken a fair bit of weight off the forward’s shoulders.
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Indeed, Gyokeres was beginning to be criticised for his lack of output in recent weeks, but now, a goal should hopefully set the wheels in motion for a strong end to 2025 and a good start to 2026.
Gyokeres emphatically fired home his penalty, and it was a stroke of genius for Mikel Arteta to put the Swede on spot kick duty on this occasion.
Mikel Arteta’s clever Viktor Gyokeres move
It has to be said that it was a stroke of genius from Mikel Arteta to give this penalty to Viktor Gyokeres.
Not only does this goal alleviate the pressure on a striker who may have been struggling for confidence, it was also the right move to make tactically.
Indeed, Arsenal’s usual penalty taker, Bukayo Saka, probably wasn’t the correct choice on this occasion in any case.
Everton’s goalkeeper, Jordan Pickford, of course, will know Bukayo Saka’s penalty routine very well from their time together on England duty, so his chances of saving a Saka spot kick may well have been higher.
On top of that, this may also lift a bit of pressure off of Martin Odegaard.
Odegaard has been criticised lately as a captain, but he showed fantastic leadership here as he held the ball before handing the duty over to Gyokeres, showcasing his leadership abilities, protecting Gyokeres from Everton’s mind-games and also showing authority on the pitch.
Who should take Arsenal’s penalties?
Viktor Gyokeres’ goal against Everton does now raise further debate around who should be taking penalties for Arsenal.
Bukayo Saka has been on penalty duty for a long time, but Mikel Arteta has named Gyokeres as Arsenal’s best option in the past.
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Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Martin Odegaard and Kai Havertz are all more than capable
Gyokeres’ record from the spot is pretty impeccable, and there is a school of thought that your number nine should always be the player taking this responsibility.
Now, more than ever before, strikers are judged by the number of goals they score, and giving Gyokeres penalty duty would be a way to inflate his numbers and remove some of that external pressure that has been brewing in recent weeks.
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