Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice waxed lyrical about his teammate Viktor Gyokeres' role in the 3-2 Premier League win at AFC Bournemouth on Saturday (January 4).
Evalinson's 10th-minute opener gave the Cherries an early advantage, but Gabriel atoned for a previous miss by drilling home the equaliser six minutes later as the two teams headed to the break on level terms.
Rice's 17-minute second-half double seemed to have titled the game decisively the Gunners' way, but Eli Junior Kroupi made things interesting by pulling one back 14 minutes from time. Nevertheless, Mikel Arteta's side hung on for a fifth straight win to go six points clear at the top after 20 games.
Although Gyokeres has coped a lot of criticism for scoring just once in his last nine league games, the striker earned lavish praise from Rice, who told Sky Sports (via Metro):
"I see how hard he hits a ball, and when that space arrives for him, and the ball’s arriving at his feet to score goals, he will 100 per cent score.
"But at the minute, defenders in the Premier League want to be able to stop Viktor Gyokeres because he’s one of the best strikers in the world. Trust me, he’s doing unbelievably for us. We wouldn’t be where we are without him."
Gyokeres, 27, has scored five times in 18 Premier League games this season, going scoreless in three outings since striking the winner in the 1-0 win at Everton last month.
"Declan Rice was one of the best players on the pitch" - Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta
Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta was all praise for midfielder Declan Rice in the Premier League win at Bournemouth on Saturday. The Englishman's two second-half goals eventually proved decisive.
Rice made 49/58 passes, including 24/31 in the opposition half, and also delivered one key pass and five crosses in 90 minutes. The Englishman has provided nine goal contributions in 19 Premier League outings, scoring four.
"Declan Rice was struggling the last few days but pushed and pushed and pushed and made himself available," Arteta told BBC Match of the Day. "He played 96 minutes, scored two goals and was one of the best players on the pitch. That is the mentality we need from all of us."
Declan Rice and Co. next take on holders Liverpool at home on Thursday (January 8) before opening their FA Cup campaign at Portsmouth three days later.