Viktor Gyokeres believes Arsenal’s statement derby win against Tottenham was the “perfect response” to silence the club’s critics.
Gyokeres and Eberechi Eze both scored twice to secure a 4-1 triumph over Spurs just four days after Arsenal were rocked by a 2-2 draw at Wolves.
The dropped points at Molineux led to questions about Arsenal’s title mentality. However, their performance against Tottenham – which took them five points clear of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League – went some way to silencing the doubters.
And Gyokeres, who extended his league tally to the season for 10, said: “It’s always going to be difficult when you get a result like we had at Wolves, but it’s how you handle that, and how you respond to it, and today we showed that it in a good way.
Bukayo Saka is expected to be fit for Arsenal’s game against Chelsea next weekend, despite coming off with an injury against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka was withdrawn late in the second half of the Gunners’ win over Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, having been involved in a painful clash with Xavi Simons moments earlier.
Saka received treatment from the Arsenal medical team on the pitch before being replaced by Noni Madueke, raising concerns of an injury.
Yet Saka could be seen moving freely following the match, both in the on-field celebrations and as he made his way down the tunnel. Mikel Arteta didn’t mention any injury in his post-match press conference or interviews, so the expectation is that he’ll be available against Chelsea.
Assuming Saka is alright, Arsenal’s injury list is starting to look a lot healthier again now.
Mikel Merino remains months away from a comeback, but Kai Havertz should be back anytime now, and Max Dowman has been back in training for a couple of weeks already.
Dowman may already be fit, as there hasn’t been much space for him in the squad even if he had been physically able to be involved. There’s every chance Saka, Havertz, and Dowman will all be available to face Chelsea, which would leave just one player out of action.
As we move into a month of vital Premier League fixtures, the last-16 of the FA Cup and the Champions League, and the League Cup final, it’s imperative that Arsenal maintain a strong squad to have options to compete on all four fronts.