"It was nice": Gyokeres praises 47-touch Arsenal star who won five duels vs Chelsea

Arsenal secured a 3-2 advantage over Chelsea after the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-final at Stamford Bridge yesterday.

Manager Mikel Arteta fielded a strong starting XI for the London derby with eight changes from the 4-1 win over Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round.

The decision proved worthwhile with Arsenal coming on top with a 3-2 victory. This was their first win over Chelsea on the road after three draws.

Speaking after the game, Viktor Gyokeres was appreciative of Ben White, who provided the cross that indirectly contributed to his goal on the night.

A dreadful piece of goalkeeping from Robert Sanchez gifted the ball to the Swede, who had a simple task of scoring from a couple of yards out.

Speaking after the game, Gyokeres told Sky Sports (via BBC Sport): “It’s not his first assist [on White] for me. I knew he was trying to find me and he did, so it was nice.”

Gyokeres was ultimately the man of the match. He went on to provide an assist for Martin Zubimendi, who scored the Gunners’ third and vital goal in the 3-2 win.

Alongside Gyokeres and Zubimendi, White had an equally good game. He opened the scoring from a corner after another goalkeeping blunder by Sanchez.

White played a big part in Gyokeres’ goal. The Englishman also completed 88 percent of his passes with 47 touches. He won five ground and aerial duels at the Bridge.

The only downside to his performance could be Alejandro Garnacho’s first goal. The Argentine was left free to unleash his effort past goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga.

Arsenal twice had the chance to win with a two-goal lead but failed to do so. Mikel Merino and Gabriel Magalhaes could have made it 4-1 too, before Garnacho’s second goal.

Ultimately, the Gunners should be pleased with the result. Declan Rice came up with a crucial block on Estevao to deny the Blues a late equaliser before the second leg.

Arsenal have no time to ponder over the result. They have a late Saturday kick-off at Nottingham Forest in the Premier League and need to recover well for the encounter.

It won’t be a surprise if manager Mikel Arteta makes a few changes. Noni Madueke and Gabriel Martinelli could come in for Bukayo Saka and Leandro Trossard out wide.

David Raya is poised to return in goal, while Myles Lewis-Skelly could start at left-back.

Stats from Transfermarkt.com

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