AfriPulse
Wayne Rooney and Daniel Sturridge have reserved praise for Arsenal star Viktor Gyokeres after he helped his side reach the Champions League final.
On Tuesday night, the Gunners edged past Spanish giants Atletico Madrid to book their place in the Champions League final.
After last week’s 1-1 draw at Atletico Madrid, Arsenal won the return leg 1-0 via Bukayo Saka’s winner to seal a 2-1 aggregate victory.
Over the two legs, the north London side deserved to progress and Gyokeres produced one of his best performances for them on Tuesday night.
Gyokeres missed a chance to take the game away from Atletico Madrid, but his work in general play was really impressive as he was a handful all evening.
And the striker was praised by Sturridge and Rooney after the match, with the forward standing out as Arsenal’s “best player”.
“The drive and tenacity of the players [is what impressed most]. Lewis-Skelly was brilliant, controlling pace and the play,” Sturridge said on Amazon Prime.
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“But Gyokeres was the best player tonight for me. He took so much pressure off the defenders, when you launch it up top thinking can it stick, can you hold it up for us? He did it all for them. Those are the performances that define top players.”
On Gyokeres, Wayne Rooney added: “He’s not as flashy as other strikers in the world but he does all the dirty work. He played a massive role in Arsenal winning this game.”
Former Premier League goalkeeper Rob Green, meanwhile, has credited Arsenal for making the second leg a “routine” victory.
“It was routine wasn’t it, and I mean that as a compliment,” Green said on BBC Radio 5 Live.
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“Arsenal made Atletico look ordinary. It wasn’t the most gracious goal from Saka, but nobody cares. Tonight it was a case of getting it done, and they did.”
“I have never seen anything like it…”
Saka was one of the first players to speak after the final whistle, and he said his side reaching the Champions League final is a “beautiful story”.
“You’re taking me away from the celebrations, man! It is so beautiful. You see what it means to us and what it means to the fans,” Saka said post-match.
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“Yes, we’re so happy. Easier said than done. This game was a high-pressure game. It means a lot to both sides. We managed to manage it well, and take ourselves to the final. It started before the game when we were arriving on the coach. I have never seen anything like it.
“Sometimes it bounces for you, and sometimes it doesn’t, but you have to be there, and I was there – I got my goal.
“There is no way you are going to come to this position and not have pressure. How can you not expect people to talk about you and criticise you? That’s why we have got to block it out.
“It is a beautiful story and I hope it ends well in Budapest.”
Source: Football365.com | Read the Full Story…
