Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta has praised Viktor Gyokeres after the Swedish forward broke his goalscoring duck against Atletico Madrid. Gyokeres snapped his nine-game goal drought by scoring twice in a 4-0 win against Atletico Madrid on Tuesday, boosting Arsenal’s strong start to their Champions League campaign.
The Swedish striker, signed from Sporting CP for £64m, scored Arsenal’s third and fourth goals to take his tally to five for the season. After the match, manager Mikel Arteta focused on Gyokeres’ perseverance and the importance of belief in the team as Arsenal maintained their unbeaten European record.
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Addressing Gyokeres recent struggles in front of goal, Arteta stressed the importance of a mental approach. The Arsenal manager said the forward needed to maintain his confidence and emotional freedom to play naturally, stressing that this was key to unlocking the striker’s potential after a difficult run without scoring in previous games.
“I think he deserved it because everything we saw in terms of what he brought to the team and how much he helped the team in many areas apart from scoring goals in the last few weeks,” Arteta told reporters, as quoted by Reuters.
“There was no debate about that. It was about keeping that self-belief, that emotional state that he can enjoy and play freely. I look at his teammates as well, in the picture and the video, everyone is so happy for him.”
Gyokeres’ breakthrough came in the second half. His first was a deflected effort that missed the keeper, while the second followed a set piece situation where Gabriel headed the ball into the path of Gyokeres and finished from close range. The two goals gave the striker a much-needed personal boost and helped give Arsenal a comfortable lead on the night.
In his post-match comments, Arteta praised the Sweden international’s contribution beyond just scoring, saying he helped the team “in many areas” even without scoring.
Arteta went on to highlight Gyokeres’ physical presence, pressing and hold-up play, identifying the striker as key to making Arsenal’s attack more unpredictable.
“He makes us a much better team. I think we’ve become a lot more unpredictable. He’s so physical, the way he squeezes the ball, holds the ball, it’s phenomenal,” Arteta said.
“He scored two very different goals today and hopefully he’ll start to get some momentum and a good run of goals.”
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Published on:
October 22, 2025
