Gyokeres inspires Arsenal to go six points clear of Manchester City | OneFootball

A striker’s performance from Viktor Gyokeres fired Arsenal six points clear of second placed Manchester City as Arsenal put three past Fulham at the Emirates.

After plenty of uninspiring performances from Arsenal in April, their first match in May could not have been more different and nobody epitomised that more than Gyokeres.

The Swede opened the scoring early on before turning creator for Arsenal’s second. He set up Bukayo Saka who fired home five minutes before half time.

Gyokeres then added the final blow in first half injury time with a strikers header across the goal past Bernd Leno.

Arsenal went into the game with one brief – three points or nothing and unlike many previous performances since the turn of the year, they showed their fight and passion early on.

Their fast start was rewarded after just eight minutes as their top goalscorer, in for the injured Kai Havertz for the second match in a row, hit the back of the net. Bukayo Saka’s low ball into the six yard box was prodded home by Gyokeres to bring up his 20th goal of the season.

In the early stages Arsenal looked imperious, almost unflappable as Fulham struggled to get the ball out of their third of the pitch and Mikel Arteta’s side should have extended their league just before the half hour mark.

When the ball broke to Gyokeres in the area, it seemed as though the net was destined to ripple, but Leno was equal to it before Saka fired the rebound wide. And just two minutes later Arsenal fans thought they had doubled their advantage.

Excellent work from Trossard created space in the area for a cross which was perfect for Calafiori who headed deftly into the corner of the goal, but VAR adjudged the Italian to be offside.

After that goal was overturned, it seemed as though Fulham were slowly growing into the match, but a Saka sucker punch five minutes before the break put any Arsenal worries to bed.

The same duo that combined for the first were involved in the second. Gyokeres’ round the corner pass to the found the English winger in space in the box before he lashed into the near post to finally get the second goal.

The day just got better and better for Arsenal in first half injury time, and once again Gyokeres was involved. The Swede epitomised everything Arsenal bought him for in the first half, and his second goal was so much more of the same. Trossard once again floated a ball in and the big striker headed the ball across Leno into the net to increase Arsenal’s lead to three.

After an electricfying first 45 from Arsenal, the game became much more mundane in the second half as they looked to hold out their lead.

Gyokeres was brought off on the hour mark to a standing ovation from the Arsenal fans ahead of their huge second leg match against Atletico Madrid in the Champions League on Sunday.

Calafiori was just inches away from scoring once again, this time not because of an offside but the crossbar. His header was just tipped onto the bar by the right hand of Leno.

Next up to Arsenal is the second leg of their Champions League semi-final against Atletico Madrid. They are currently level going into their home firxture after Julian Alvarez cancelled out Gyokeres’ early penalty.