At a Glance:
- Micah Richards heaps praise on Viktor Gyokeres.
- Richards on Gyokeres’ movement as Arsenal beat Fulham.
- Stats show the Arsenal striker put in a masterclass.
Viktor Gyokeres may have had his best game in an Arsenal shirt against Fulham, as the Swede scored a brace and assisted Bukayo Saka’s strike as well.
Gyokeres ran riot against Fulham, opening the scoring just nine minutes into the contest after tapping an inch-perfect cutback from Saka into the back of the net.
The goalscorer turned into a creator after a brilliant piece of centre-forward play as he held the ball up and found the Englishman in space, who finish with aplomb.
Gyokeres’ second goal against Fulham was another example of his flawless positioning as he headed Leandro Trossard’s cross past Bernd Leno. Micah Richards had his say on the 27-year-old’s heroics.
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Micah Richards praises Viktor Gyokeres after Arsenal beat Fulham
While praising Gyokeres as an outlet against Fulham, Richards stressed that the Arsenal striker is the type of player who thrives when allowed to run beyond defences.
The pundit said on The Rest Is Football podcast: “I thought his running in behind was excellent.
“You know when we talked about him before he signed for Arsenal, he came from Sporting and a lot of people said, ‘What type of player is he?’ That’s the exact type of player that I thought he would be earlier on in the season.”
Gyokeres shone against Atletico Madrid as well recently and Micah Richards stated that despite how much he has struggled at Arsenal, the former Brighton forward put in a top centre-forward’s display against Fulham.
“And I know he found it difficult at Arsenal and it’s difficult going to a big club and going for a league and a Champions League and you got more scrutiny.
“But in terms of the basics of his game, he did them really well. And when he stretches the defence like that, it gives more space to the players and that’s what gives Saka so much space!”
Viktor Gyokeres stats in Arsenal vs Fulham
Gyokeres seems to be hitting form at the perfect time and if he maintains his steady rise, Arsenal could end up winning silverware this season.
As Micah Richards explained, the Stockholm-born marksman has had a tough time since his return to the Premier League. But on Saturday, he showed his class and stepped up to the plate.
The statistics summed up how well Gyokeres fared against Fulham as well.
| Viktor Gyokeres vs Fulham | Stats |
| Goals | 2 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Chances created | 1 |
| Touches in opposition box | 6 |
| Shots | 4 |
| Touches | 21 |
Arsenal’s number nine scored two and assisted one goal, created a chance, took six touches in the opposition box and four shots against Marco Silva’s side.
For Gyokeres to be as impactful as he was against Fulham despite taking just 21 touches in total is efficiency personified.
