Gyokeres Encourages Arsenal to Keep Focused in Title Race

Viktor Gyokeres has stated that Arsenal will not take their position for granted, even though they are at the top of the Premier League at Christmas.

Arsenal secured their spot at the top with a 1-0 victory against Everton on Saturday. Gyokeres scored the only goal of the match with a penalty after a handball by Jake O’Brien.

Mikel Arteta’s team has a two-point lead over Manchester City, but Gyokeres emphasized that lots of football remains before they can relax about their standings.

The Gunners have been top of the table at Christmas four times before, including twice in the last three seasons, but have not won the Premier League in those instances. Historically, 17 out of the 33 teams leading at Christmas have gone on to win the title, with a success rate of 52%.

“Winning matches and being top is always nice, but it doesn’t mean much yet because we have a long way to go and many games ahead,” Gyokeres noted after the win against Everton.

“We still have several games this Christmas period, so I will enjoy it… but not too much!”

Gyokeres on Taking Penalty Responsibility

Gyokeres willingly took the penalty even though regular shooter Bukayo Saka was on the field. Regarding this choice, he said: “We discussed it briefly on the pitch, and it was a quick conversation before I took it. A few months ago, I took one, and it felt good to score again.”

“We don’t dwell on it too much; we just wait for the decision. When it’s a penalty, you know what to do. Nothing out of the ordinary, really.”