On Wednesday evening Arsenal fans rejoiced as they saw their title rivals slip up.
Aston Villa and Manchester City had both drawn, meaning that if the Gunners defeated Liverpool at the Emirates Stadium on Thursday, they would go eight points clear at the top of the Premier League.
Alas, that did not happen. There was huge expectancy among Arsenal fans as an injury depleted Liverpool side headed to north London but the league leaders arguably put in the worst display of the season.
Liverpool-1
Between the 44th minute and injury time, Mikel Areta’s men failed to have a single shot. The visitors controlled much of the possession in the second period but never looked like scoring.
Truth be told, neither side looked like finding the net. This was easily one of the least eventful games we’ve seen in the top-flight this season.
Alright, we’re not selling things particularly well, but there were a number of talking points, not least another anonymous display from a certain Viktor Gyokeres.
Viktor Gyokeres' struggles vs Liverpool
A year ago, Arsenal really needed to sign a striker. Gabriel Jesus had suffered an ACL injury, Kai Havertz was far from prolific and Eddie Nketiah had left for Crystal Palace in the summer.
Did they sign one? Against their better judgement, no. Just days after the window closed, Havertz suffered a hamstring injury which ensured he missed much of the second half of the season.
Mikel Merino filled in tremendously well as a makeshift striker but once the summer came around, Arteta’s side couldn’t afford to find themselves in the same situation.
They signed a striker, securing the services of Viktor Gyokeres. Before Andrea Berta arrived it looked as though the recruitment team had fancied Benjamin Sesko - who later moved from RB Leipzig to Manchester United - but it was Berta who championed a move for Gyokeres.
Norgaard-Arsenal-Gyokeres
Arsenal’s new sporting director has done a lot right since being given the post in the early stages of 2025 but the acquisition of the Swedish centre-forward has to go down as a colossal blunder.
Indeed, while the Swede certainly hasn’t had things all his own way - Arsenal could create more for him - his failings are only being exacerbated the longer his goal drought goes on.
gyokerers
The big-money summer arrival did find the net from the penalty spot against Everton before Christmas but he has not scored a non-penalty goal since the club’s win over Burnley back in November.
Gyokeres does not look like he suits Arsenal playstyle but to cut him some slack, Arteta’s most creative players have not been forthcoming with too many chances for him. It says it all that in seven of his Premier League outings, he’s failed to have a single shot.
That was the same story on Thursday evening against Liverpool. Gary Neville described his performance as “really poor”, suggesting it was another “ineffective” night for the former Coventry City striker. You can’t disagree with that statement.
While the centre forward is a nuisance and occupies defenders, he's been brought into score goals and he is simply not going that. Another game passed him by with minimal impact.
That said, he’s not the only problem for Arteta at the moment.
Arsenal have a bigger problem than Gyokeres
The Swede is becoming a big issue for Arteta and although the Spaniard has suggested he is seeing improvement, it’s surely time for a spell on the sidelines now.
Two of Arsenal’s best performances this term - the wins over Bayern Munich and Spurs - came with Merino leading the line while Jesus and Havertz are back from injury, albeit to differing degrees of fitness.
Gabriel-Jesus-Arsenal
At the back, however, there is a problem for Arteta and his coaching staff. Much has been made of the centre-back injury crisis this term. The Gunners have even been linked with a move for Crystal Palace skipper Marc Guehi this week.
Yet, that pesky left-back role is becoming an issue again, just as it was when Oleksandr Zinchenko couldn’t nail down a regular starting berth in that role.
Riccardo Calafiori began the season at left-back and since his injury, it’s Piero Hincapie, not Myles Lewis-Skelly who has been preferred.
Lewis-Skelly’s cameo against Liverpool showed precisely why he’s been bumped down the pecking order.
Hincapie-Arsenal
The 2024/25 campaign was a breakthrough one for the teenager but surely all hopes of him making England’s World Cup squad this summer are being extinguished. He’s barely kicked a ball this term, featuring for just 312 minutes in the league.
Why? Well, it looks like he’s suffering from a lack of confidence and rustiness. That’s hardly surprising given his limited minutes. Even so, you’d expect better for one of the best young players in the country.
He’s gone from being nominated for the PFA Young Player of the Year award, someone who scored against Man City, to a player who doesn’t look capable of starting for Arsenal in a very short period of time.
Brought on to replace an injured Hincapie against Liverpool, the England international had a disastrous cameo, notably ran ragged by the spritely Jeremie Frimpong down Liverpool’s left flank.
On more than one occasion the Dutchman got the better of Lewis-Skelly and Arsenal were fortunate not to concede following the full-back’s haphazard defending.
Lewis-Skelly vs Liverpool
Minutes played
Touches
Accurate passes
Key passes
Crosses
Shots
Tackles won
Interceptions
Duels won
Stats via Sofascore.
One moment of madness summed up his season. Trying to progress the ball into the centre of the pitch from the left, he gifted possession straight back to Liverpool. Arteta will have rightfully been perplexed with what he was seeing from someone who’s usually so confident and fearless.
Lewis-Skelly has lost his mojo and simply cannot be trusted to start games for Arsenal, certainly at left-back anyway.
lewis-skelly
Gyokeres may well be struggling to find goals but he is helping the team’s overall dynamic. He can pin several defenders at once - see Declan Rice’s first goal against Bournemouth - thus creating space for members of Arsenal’s forward line to thrive.
As for the Hale Ender, it’s been a tale of woe this season. He’s regressed and looks a bigger problem than the club’s big-name striker. He does, however, have time on his side. Gyokeres, arguably, does not.
The future remains bright for Lewis-Skelly. After all, he has been described as "future captain" of the club by some insiders. It's time to see some improvement before Arteta really does lose his faith in the youngster.
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