It was as if it had been written. Ben White delivered a cross and Victor Goqueres slotted the ball into the net from close range. Were you both teammates in Brighton’s youth team and one of the coaches? Liam Rosenia.
But this wasn’t just a friendly reunion. Gokeres may have come into his own today, as he scored and provided an assist in Arsenal’s 3-2 victory over Rossenia’s Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final.
Gokeres’ goal was a tap-in with the goal open, and his assist to Martin Zvimendi looked like a simple flick. But there was more to it than that. They both had one thing in common. That means he was surrounded by multiple players.
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It was a perfect moment for Victor Gokeres as the striker took advantage of a mistake by the Chelsea keeper to double Arsenal’s lead.
Two Chelsea players were stretching towards the ball as he bundled it home for his goal. In Zvimendi’s goal, the Spaniard had space to finish as the Arsenal centre-forward had three players around him before laying off.
This was yet another reminder that Gokeres is the player in the Premier League who gives defenders the least amount of space. But this could be a performance that shows the Swedish forward is finally starting to rise to the challenge at Arsenal.
Victor Gokeres is given far less space than other players in the Premier League
Attracting defenders has been a big plus point for Gokeres this season. It’s not unnoticeable that two of Arsenal’s three goals came from open play crosses.
Creating space for these crossers and other key attackers is the skill most valued by Mikel Arteta, who has continued to pick him in an Arsenal team that has hardly played a natural centre-forward over the past three seasons.
After the match against Chelsea, Gokeres manager Arteta said, “The expectation is always to score, but we want more than that,” and praised the team’s “really good performance.” “Victor is outstanding in many areas.
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Mikel Arteta told Sky Sports he reflected on Arsenal’s good win but admitted it could have been better.
“What he brings to the team is huge. I can understand sometimes people don’t appreciate it, but we certainly do and on top of that he was rewarded with a goal.”
While everyone around him was making noise about his lack of goals, there were signs behind the scenes that Gokeres was starting to score more goals.
It also happened in the first half at Stamford Bridge, when the Swede rolled off a defender and his shot was deflected into the far corner.
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Jamie Redknapp and Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink discuss whether Victor Gokeres should have been flagged for offside following Antoine Semenho’s canceled goal against Newcastle in Arsenal’s opening game against Chelsea in the Carabao Cup semi-final.
This time in a 3-2 away win at Bournemouth, Gokeres occupied multiple defenders while chasing down Gabriel Martinelli’s flick-on. Declan Rice, left on the edge of the box after his defender was dragged away, flicked home Martin Odegaard for his first goal of the night.
Coach Rice recognized that, saying: “If he hadn’t made that run from Gabi (Martinelli)’s flick and kept it and scored it on Martin, he wouldn’t have gotten the goal that turned the game around.”
“I watch this guy every day. I watch his finishing and how hard he hits the ball. When that space comes to his feet and the ball comes to his feet and he scores, he’s going to score 100 percent.”
“But defenders in the Premier League want to be able to stop Victor Gokeres because he is one of the best strikers in the world, which is natural when you play with the best players.
“It’s tough for him because he has two defenders the whole game, so he has to use his strength and everything he can to help the team.
“Believe me, he’s doing incredible things for us. We wouldn’t be here right now without him.”
So perhaps this will be the beginning of brighter times for Gökeres. But there is still work to be done. Consistency is the key – we’ve been here before with the Arsenal striker.
Gokeres scored twice against Atlético Madrid and scored again 10 days later against Burnley, but his form declined after that. He received a confidence-boosting penalty against Everton.
“Obviously his best thing is putting the ball in the back of the net and he was in that position many times today,” Arteta said. If he scores a few more goals in his upcoming games, Gökeres could break free from the negative tag that has been attached to him recently.
