Viktor Gyokeres lifts lid on Arsenal squad talks as title charge revived with derby victory | OneFootball

Swede hit a brace as Gunners bounced back from Wolves draw with Tottenham rout

Viktor Gyokeres has lifted the lid on Arsenal’s team meeting after a frustrating draw with Wolves, saying their frank conversation helped inspire victory in the north London derby.

Tom Edozie scored a 94th-minute equaliser at Molineux as Wolves, who sit bottom of the Premier League and are 17 points adrift of safety, held Arsenal to a shock 2-2 draw.

The result had ramifications for their hopes of lifting the Premier League title, allowing second-placed Manchester City, who have a game in hand, to pull within five points.

Declan Rice later revealed that the Arsenal squad held a meeting following that match in which players spoke candidly about the team’s performances.

The Gunners then routed bitter rivals Tottenham 4-1 in Sunday’s north London derby, and Gyokeres, who scored a brace at Hotspur Stadium, said he felt Arsenal’s talks had brought him and his team-mates closer together.

"It's important sometimes just to say what you feel and to let it all out in the group,” explained the Swede, who joined Arsenal for £54.8million from Sporting CP last summer.

"Most of us spoke. Everyone can recognise how different people feel in the moment and you get a better understanding of the feeling.

The Arsenal team held frank talks with one another after their draw with Wolves

Arsenal FC via Getty Images

"When you speak in the group openly like that, you come closer together and it's very important to do that sometimes.

"If you're not honest, I think it's hard to improve. It was a good chat, we certainly enjoyed today, and now we're going to prepare for a big game against Chelsea next weekend."

He continued, saying the derby victory felt that much sweeter against the backdrop of the draw with Wolves.

"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.

"To get this result and this performance, it was the perfect way to respond. So, it's a good sign.

“The thing is, that we have to keep showing it in the next game and the game after that. There's a lot of games to go. But if we perform like this, it's going to be good, for sure."

Additional reporting: Press Association