Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge lavish praise on Arsenal’s ‘best player’ in Champions League win
Viktor Gyokeres played an important role in Arsenal’s journey to the European final despite not getting a goal at the Emirates
Wayne Rooney , Daniel Sturridge and Theo Walcott all praised Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres for his role in taking the Gunners to the Champions League final. Arsenal defeated Atletico Madrid 1-0 at the Emirates Stadium to record a 2-1 win on aggregate and reach their first Champions League final in 20 years. Gyokeres was the main target man for the Gunners and it was his run in behind which kickstarted the move that led to Bukayo Saka’s winning goal.
Sturridge spoke highly of Arsenal’s ‘drive’ and ‘tenacity’ throughout the game but picked out Gyokeres as ‘best player’ on the pitch tonight. “Myles Lewis-Skelly was brilliant, he was controlling the tempo and position of the play, [Declan] Rice was excellent. ” Sturridge said.
“[Viktor] Gyokeres, for me, was the best player for Arsenal. ” He went further by explaining: “He caused so many problems, took the stress off the defence. You launch it up top and you’re thinking can it stick?
Can he get hold of it for us? Can he advance us up the field? He did it all for them.