Former Arsenal forward Theo Walcott praised the “best performance” he’s seen from striker Viktor Gyokeres after the Sweden international’s brace in the 4-1 win over Tottenham Hotspur.
Gyokeres swept in a superb first goal to re-establish Arsenal’s lead shortly after half-time, before rounding off the win with a well-taken second – and Arsenal’s fourth – in stoppage time, shrugging off the challenge from Archie Gray before curling in an accomplished finish.
While the goals will grab the headlines, it was a superb overall performance from Arsenal’s summer signing, who also provided a vital touch in the build-up to Arsenal’s third goal.
And Gyokeres came in for plenty of praise from Sky Sports pundits after the final whistle, with Walcott calling the display “the best performance I’ve ever seen from him”.
“Not just the goals, I felt today that he really commanded that position. He knew where the weakness was in that Tottenham team. It was from minute one, he showed everything that we expected him to bring to this league,” explained Walcott.
“What I really like is this finish [for the second goal], which he’ll do every day in training, it’s fantastic. It was the link play [too], he brought the best out of the others around him.
“It was a really important moment for him, [he was] a massive signing, and then want to give him time,” he added.
Fellow pundit Jamie Redknapp agreed, adding that he “bullied” Tottenham’s defence.
“[It was] a big day for him, he was excellent, the touches, I am very pleased for him because he has had a lot of stick,” added Redknapp.
The goals mean Gyokeres has scored more in 2026 across all competitions than any other Premier League player, with eight of his 15 total goals for the Gunners coming this calendar year. He is the club’s top scorer in the league this term, with eight goals.
And Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta was also full of praise for his striker, calling the display the best, the most complete” performance so far from the 27-year-old.
“When we need him most and that is when big players and big clubs have to stand up when you are needed.
“He was outstanding today, I thought. There have been glimmers of it every week but today, I thought he was fantastic,” added the Spaniard.
The 4-1 win takes Arsenal five points clear at the top of the league, though Manchester City have a game in hand ahead of next week’s round of fixtures, with Pep Guardiola’s side facing Leeds and the Gunners taking on Chelsea on Super Sunday.
