Arsenal were held to a 1-1 draw by 10-man Chelsea at Stamford Bridge on Sunday, with Viktor Gyokeres and his role emerging as a key topic of discussion since
07:17, 02 Dec 2025
Mikel Arteta had to settle for one point when Arsenal couldn't beat 10-man Chelsea
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Mikel Arteta had to settle for one point when Arsenal couldn't beat 10-man Chelsea
Arsenal had to make do with a draw against a 10-man Chelsea side on Sunday as they dropped two crucial points in the Premier League title race.
The London rivals clashed in a fiery encounter at Stamford Bridge, which ended in a 1-1 stalemate. Enzo Maresca's Blues were the dominant force in the first half but were dealt a blow when Moises Caicedo was given his marching orders in the 38th minute for a reckless tackle on Mikel Merino. Despite being a man down, the hosts took the lead just after the break thanks to Trevoh Chalobah, only for Merino to level things up with a header from Bukayo Saka's pinpoint cross in the 59th minute.
It capped off a challenging week for the Gunners, who saw their Premier League lead shrink to five points following Manchester City's win. However, Mikel Arteta will still be delighted with the efforts of his lads, who trounced Tottenham 4-1 and Bayern Munich 3-1, maintaining their momentum both at home and in Europe. Here's all the latest news from the Emirates ahead of Wednesday night's home game against Brentford.
Gyokeres 'devastated'
Viktor Gyokeres
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Viktor Gyokeres saw a chance taken by Jurrien Timber(Image: Catherine Ivill - AMA/Getty Images)
Arsenal legend Ian Wright reckons Viktor Gyokeres must be frustrated after the Chelsea match, reports the Mirror.
The £64million summer recruit made his comeback from injury as a substitute at Stamford Bridge, replacing Eberechi Eze in the 72nd minute as Arsenal hunted for the winning goal.
After barely touching the ball all match, the Swedish hitman finally got his golden chance to bag his seventh strike for the club in the final moments when Piero Hincapie whipped in a delivery from the left flank.
Gyokeres sprinted into the six-yard box and leapt to connect with the cross completely unmarked, only for teammate Jurrien Timber to arrive first and nod the ball off target.
Several pundits, including Wright, later argued Gyokeres should have made his intentions crystal clear and demanded Timber step aside. Wright was gobsmacked the striker didn't take charge, admitting he would have been 'devastated' in that situation.
Wright explained: "I'm thinking Gyokeres... if this is me, I'm going be screaming so loud anyone in front of me is gonna drop out [of the way]. That is what I have always been told, you have to shout and let them know you're coming because then Timber moves his head out of the way and Gyokeres comes in and gets a clean header.
"I'd be devastated with that, he's got to let him know, Viktor Gyokeres has to let Jurrien Timber know, 'I'm coming', because that is a massive opportunity missed."
Walcott's striker prediction
Mikel Merino of Arsenal celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the Premier League match between Chelsea and Arsenal at Stamford Bridge on November 30, 2025 in London, England.
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Mikel Merino scored his fourth Premier League goal of the season against Chelsea(Image: Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Gyokeres received a harsh dose of reality from another ex-Arsenal striker following the match.
Theo Walcott suggested that despite players like Gyokeres and Kai Havertz recovering from fitness issues, Arteta will persist with improvised No. 9 Mikel Merino ahead of the Swede for crucial fixtures going forward.
Merino, initially brought in as a midfielder, has been flourishing in the false-nine role since the year kicked off. He once again demonstrated his knack for finding the back of the net against the Blues on Sunday.
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Theo Walcott, sharing his insights on Sky Sports, said: "I think Mikel Merino is more trusted in the big games, he's a player that you know what you're going to get. He's got so much more experience in these games, I think Gyokeres will be more of an impact player in the big games.
"He trusts Merino a lot more and it will probably do Gyokeres a lot of good to watch from the outside and learn a lot from what Merino does."