Wayne Rooney has lauded Viktor Gyokeres’ standout performance against Fulham on Saturday, as the Arsenal striker insisted the team never stopped believing they could claim the Premier League title.
Viktor Gyokeres delivered one of his strongest showings in an Arsenal jersey, netting two open-play goals and setting up another in the 3-0 victory over Fulham.
The forward also created several more quality chances, some of which were well saved by Bernd Leno, making his three-goal contribution feel like the minimum his efforts deserved. It was a dominant individual display, and Gyokeres made it clear afterward that Arsenal remain fully committed to the title race.
“We never stopped believing,” Gyokeres told Sky Sports. “We’re not going to. That’s how it is, and we keep going. A lot to play for still, we’re just going to focus on the next one now.”
Speaking on Match of the Day later that evening, former Manchester United and Everton striker Wayne Rooney had high praise for the Arsenal forward.
“He was really impressive all afternoon today,” Rooney said. “I’m really pleased for him because he has had a bit of criticism. Of course, he’d like to score more against the big teams, but I don’t think Arsenal have done that well against the big teams anyway this season. How you win league titles is being consistent. Consistently this season he has scored goals against the other teams.
“His minutes per goal is right up there. You see the players below him—Sesko, Ekitike, Welbeck, who has had a great season. So his minutes-per-goal ratio is very good, and I think he’s been such an important signing for Arsenal.”
Big teams or smaller sides, Gyokeres now sits on 21 goals across all competitions this season, becoming just the third Premier League player to reach 20 in the 2025-26 campaign. He is also the first Arsenal player to hit 20-plus in a debut season since Alexis Sanchez, and only nine players have ever scored more for the Gunners in their first year at the club.
The focus now shifts to the Champions League, where Gyokeres will look to add to his tally in the second leg against Atletico Madrid and help send Arsenal to their first final in 20 years. After that, the Gunners can refocus on the Premier League, where three wins from three remaining games will likely be needed to stay in the title hunt.