Owen Remains Unconvinced by Gyokeres Despite Dominant Derby Display

Michael Owen isn't ready to hand Victor Gyokeres a clean bill of health just yet, even after a masterclass performance that saw the Arsenal man bag a brace in Sunday's emphatic 4-1 demolition of Tottenham.

The former Liverpool striker acknowledges Gyokeres produced his finest display since arriving at the Emirates, yet remains sceptical about his credentials as the club's permanent centre-forward solution.

Speaking to Premier League Productions, Owen outlined his mixed assessment: "I like this lad in so many aspects but I think he's got so many weaknesses as well. To be Arsenal's centre forward for the long-term, am I getting carried away about just one game? No I'm not, I still think the questions are out there."

Gyokeres, a Swedish international who notched an impressive 97 goals in 102 appearances during his Sporting CP stint, has endured a difficult campaign since his £64m summer transfer. The North London Derby triumph marked his most convincing outing in an Arsenal shirt to date.

Yet Owen was quick to identify what he rates about the 26-year-old's game. "What you cannot question with this lad is his work rate. He's a fantastic runner, he times his runs well. He knows where the goal is, he arcs his runs well to stay onside and he is lethal in front of goal. He's one of the very best finishers in the Premier League."

The pundit also noted Gyokeres' recent upturn in form, suggesting: "This year I think he's top goalscorer in the Premier League, this calendar year. He's coming into a bit of form just when they need him."

Fellow pundit Ashley Young underscored the importance of maintaining momentum. "They definitely do need him to be in form. You're going into the most vital part of the season now. When you've got City breathing down your necks you need your striker to be scoring goals. If he's scoring this many goals this year so far you want him keep building, keep that confidence, keep being in front of goal and finishing like the way he has."

Gyokeres himself framed the Spurs victory as a timely response to recent disappointments. "It's always going to be difficult when you get a result like we had at Wolves, but it's how you handle that, and how you respond to it, and today we showed that it in a good way," he reflected post-match.

"To get this result and this performance, it was the perfect way to respond. So, it's a good sign. The thing is, that we have to keep showing it in the next game and the game after that. There's a lot of games to go. But if we perform like this, it's going to be good, for sure."