Rare Viktor Gyokeres magic v Inter underlines Arsenal’s quadruple credentials | OneFootball

There is no reason why Arsenal should not be targeting the quadruple this season, especially after a statement Champions League win at Inter and a confidence-boosting strike from Viktor Gyokeres.

Mikel Arteta has the quality and numbers required to win the lot this season, and that incredible depth was on show on Tuesday night as the Gunners put out a team strong enough to win 3-1 away to the side top of Serie A in a authoritative Champions League performance.

It was a far better spectacle than last season’s dull 1-0 defeat at Inter, surely helped by Arteta actually having a striker on the pitch from the start this time as Gabriel Jesus scored two goals in the first half.

Arsenal had been crying out for a ruthless No.9 for a long time before last season’s insipid performance at San Siro. They eventually bought one last summer – or at least they thought they did.

Viktor Gyokeres for £64m was supposed to be the final piece of the puzzle, but his signing has been one big disappointment…until now. Maybe.

For a striker in a slump, you’d happily take one off your own arse. But perhaps Gyokeres needed one to fly into the top corner to truly spark his confidence. His fortunate tap-in at Chelsea last midweek wasn’t the shot in the arm you might have expected, as the very next game prompted an article on this very website about how pants he was.

And for a long time on Tuesday night, it felt like it was going to be more of the same as Jesus bagged a first-half brace. Gyokeres was the big loser on a night when Arsenal were big winners. But just as his stock fell further, it surged again as his beautiful strike sealed the three points, and didn’t just give him confidence to get his season properly up and running, but gave Arsenal fans belief that there really is a proper player in there.

Gyokeres’ curler was a huge positive, but it’s difficult to look at the Champions League standings without thinking about the bigger picture.

Seven games. Seven wins. Twenty goals scored. Two conceded. A guaranteed top-two finish. Arsenal can only fail to finish first if they lose at home to Kairat Almaty next week.

That’s the beautiful Champions League picture. It’s hard to look past them, isn’t it?

The Premier League picture is just as pretty. Top by seven points with 16 games remaining. Forty goals scored. Fourteen conceded. Only two defeats. Unbeaten in seven. Not quite champions-elect, but strong favourites.

Those are the two big ones, but the FA Cup has handed them a fourth-round draw at home to League One Wigan Athletic, and they already have one foot in the Carabao Cup final after beating Chelsea 3-2 away from home in the first leg of their semi-final.

What a time to be an Arsenal fan, eh?

Every season, there are shouts about an English club doing the quadruple. Ultimately, it never happens. Supporters foolishly convince themselves that this will finally be the year. But maybe, just maybe, this time it actually is.

Arsenal’s biggest weakness remains their attack, and if Tuesday’s goal for Gyokeres is the shot in the arm his season needed, it could be absolute curtains for everyone else in England.

Manchester City continue to falter. Aston Villa received a reality check against Everton. A resurgent Manchester United are out of the FA Cup. Chelsea have appointed David Brent as their new manager. Tottenham Hotspur’s manager supports Arsenal. Liverpool may be unbeaten in 12, but they still look pants.

The only competition Arsenal arguably shouldn’t be favourites to win is the Champions League, yet they are still seen as frontrunners by many.

There will likely be an upset along the way, because that’s football. Plymouth Argyle knocked Liverpool out of the FA Cup last season, and Nathan Jones’ Southampton stopped City from completing a quadruple during their 2022/23 Treble-winning campaign. So the real question is: who will be Mikel Arteta’s Nathan Jones?

Well, Arsenal’s biggest threat to a historic campaign might be themselves.

They have surely learned from previous run-in mistakes and are well equipped to win at least one major trophy this season. Even for a club without a European Cup, the Premier League remains the one everyone wants above all else.

Arsenal are in prime position to end a 22-year wait for a league title. They are also in a wonderful position to end a 70-year wait to be crowned champions of Europe. And they might even become the first English team to win all four major trophies in the same season.

They have the depth. They have quality in every position, perhaps with the exception of up front. The jury is still out on Gyokeres.

But if his goal proves to be a turning point, Arsenal could become unstoppable. They already look good value for a trophy; with a flying Gyokeres, they could be good value for a historic quadruple.