Arsenal got their Premier League campaign off to a winning start away to Manchester United but new striker Viktor Gyokeres didn't enjoy the best of debuts for the Gunners
Viktor Gyokeres during Manchester United vs Arsenal
Viktor Gyokeres during Manchester United vs Arsenal(Image: Offside via Getty Images)
Arsenal striker Viktor Gyokeres got an immediate lesson in the challenges posed by the Premier League after his £64m summer move from Sporting Lisbon. The Swedish striker scored 54 goals in his final season in Portugal, but didn't even register a shot on his top-flight debut for the Gunners.
It brings to an end a streak lasting some 28 months. Gyokeres registered at least one shot in every single one of his league appearances for Sporting, but failed to do so for Arsenal against Manchester United on Sunday.
You have to go back 69 games for the last time Gyokeres failed to register a shot in a league outing. According to BBC Sport, the game in question was Coventry vs Blackburn in the Championship, with the Sky Blues claiming a 1-0 win despite their leading man coming up short.
Gyokeres was celebrating another 1-0 win on Sunday despite his personal struggles. Riccardo Calafiori scored the only goal of the game, capitalising on an Altay Bayindir error to nod home at the back post after a Declan Rice corner.
Arsenal's new No.14 scored in pre-season during a win at home to Athletic Club. And, while he was made to wait in the league, manager Mikel Arteta recognised he wasn't the only one to find things tough.
"We came here away and won which is a big result. We were clearly not at our best," Arteta told Match of the Day. "We attacked the box and we reacted well to unusual mistakes. The team reacted time after time in an incredible way. Very proud of that because that is why we got the opportunity to win the game.
"We showed a resilience and a will to win. They put you on the ropes here, you will have to have moments when you suffer. To find a way to win at this ground, I'm very happy with the team."
Riccardo Calafiori celebrating his winner for Arsenal against Manchester United
Riccardo Calafiori celebrating his winner for Arsenal against Manchester United
Arsenal's next game comes at home to Leeds United, who begin their own campaign against Everton on Monday night. Daniel Farke's side scored a league-leading 95 goals en route to promotion from the Championship last term so Arsenal may need to be at their best defensively once more.
No team conceded fewer than Arsenal in last season's Premier League, with goalkeeper David Raya claiming the golden glove award. Raya needed to be sharp to snuff out a couple of United attacks on Sunday, but pointed to the team effort required.
"That's the willingness, the fight, the spirit that we have altogether, where things are not going our way and we make mistakes, everybody's sprinting back and trying to help the teammate that's made a mistake to recover the ball and to do the right thing," the Spaniard said. "So we did that and I think we dug deep very, very well, especially the last 10-15 minutes where they threw everything to us and we defended very well, so that's credit to the team."
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