Arsenal had to settle for a draw against Chelsea on Sunday, with the match ending 1-1 at Stamford Bridge. The Gunners fell behind early in the second half to a Trevoh Chalobah header, but Mikel Merino equalised in the 59th minute from a Bukayo Saka cross.
Theo Walcott, speaking as a pundit on Sky Sports, suggested that manager Mikel Arteta trusts Merino more than Viktor Gyokeres in high-stakes matches. “I think Mikel Merino is more trusted in the big games,” Walcott said. “He trusts Merino a lot more and it will probably do Gyokeres a lot of good to watch from the outside and learn from what Merino does.”
Ian Wright also weighed in, saying he would have been “devastated” if he were Gyokeres after the Swedish striker missed a late chance. Gyokeres failed to claim a header in the dying seconds when teammate Jurrien Timber got to the ball first. Wright said: “If this is me, I’m going to be screaming so loud anyone in front of me is gonna drop out. He’s got to let him know, Viktor Gyokeres has to let Jurrien Timber know, ‘I’m coming’.”
Gyokeres, a £64million summer signing, made his return from injury off the bench, coming on in the 72nd minute for Eberechi Eze. He saw little of the ball until that final opportunity, which went begging.
