Viktor Gyokeres: Has Arsenal forward finally found form?

Gyokeres was signed for his ability to find the net but he was also brought in to create space for the attackers behind him.

And that thinking, despite any personal struggles for him on the pitch, has been proved right.

Arsenal have a better win percentage (84%) and concede less goals when he starts.

The stats show that Arsenal score more without Gyokeres starting but they’ve conceded more without him too, which highlights the work rate and willingness to help the team out.

“I love his character,” Arteta said when asked about Gyokeres’ mental strength and resilience after the win over Sunderland.

“The way he approaches every single day and the fact that he’s so focused on the present, what he has to do and he has a genuine will to help the team in whatever role he has.

“When you put that shirt on, it comes with a lot of responsibility and huge expectations. And you need to live with that. In your journey here, you’re going to have moments where it goes really well and others where it’s going to be tough.”

The scrutiny on Gyokeres has been high since the moment he signed, with the club desperate to win a trophy after so many near misses.

His goal record and the fact that he took the number 14 made famous by club record goal scorer Thierry Henry added to that.

“With Viktor, when you look at him, it’s very difficult to understand his emotions because he looks straight at you and you don’t really know,” Arteta said.

“But he doesn’t seem too affected by the real highs or the lows.

“And that’s what we need – stability. He’s very demanding of himself. He’s constantly trying to improve, and that’s really, really good.”

It may have been tough for Gyokeres at times but there are a lot of games left with some potentially special moments for Arsenal to come. Now that the forward is finding the net, he is putting himself in position to be a huge part of that.