Viktor Gyokeres rubbed salt in the Tottenham Hotspur wounds after firing Arsenal to victory in the North London Derby
Viktor Gyokeres aimed a cheeky dig at Tottenham Hotspur following the North London Derby. The 27-year-old striker, who fired Arsenal to victory on Sunday evening, pounced on the chance to take one more jab at the Lilywhites.
In an interview with Sky Sports after the game, Gyokeres reflected on his goal at the start of the second half. Jurrien Timber fizzed the ball into the Sweden international, who was given space to take a touch and blast the ball past Guglielmo Vicario from the edge of the box.
While breaking down the passage of play, Gyokeres took a swipe at Spurs. He said: "We do that a few times in training, and obviously I watched his goals against 'these lot' last game, and I tried to replicate that a little bit, and it worked, so a nice goal."
Eberechi Eze, who stood beside the Swede, returned the compliment and claimed he wouldn't have been able to put two past Tottenham without him. He said: "Vik was doing it all game, you can see his work ethic.
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"He helps the team, not just with his goals but the effort he puts in. It gets players like me in the best positions, and it helps a lot. He's got his two goals today, which he deserves."
Gary Neville also heaped praise on Gyokeres, describing his performance as his 'best' in an Arsenal shirt. Speaking from the gantry while on co-commentary duty, the Manchester United legend said: "He looks really lively and smart, Gyokeres.
"It’s the best I’ve seen him for a while. It’s a great moment for him. He’s still got a lot to do when it comes to him – and he hasn’t always been smooth – but it’s a wonderful finish.
"Gyokeres has had one of his best games for Arsenal; he’s been a real nuisance. It’s the best I’ve seen him in a big game. He’s never going to be the prettiest striker, but he deserves that award. He’s looked sharper today as well, it’s the most involved he’s been in a Premier League game."
Then, speaking on his podcast after the game, Neville claimed that Arsenal made a statement in the title race. The Sky Sports pundit said: "It was really important what happened today because it's too early for that real title pressure.
"We're not quite in the home straight - there's 10 games to go and they are eroding fast. But this is going to get really hot when it gets into April.
"You're now getting to a point whereby games really do count and when you drop points - and Arsenal have been on a difficult run. There were big question marks of Arsenal at the start of the game and they handled it.
"They played well and they dominated the first 20 minutes. They then go and get the goal and it's really good. Then they have the one blip when they let Tottenham back in it within 30 seconds, so there's another big question coming when they come out for the second half, but they've answered it.
"The big question at 2-1 then is 'can they go and kill the game off? Are they going to let Tottenham back into it?' And they've answered that. There's a number of questions throughout this match that Arsenal have answered.
"Can they score goals? They've done everything right today and playing here [at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium] was perfect for them."