Saka's Left Foot Poses Dilemma for Gyokeres as Arsenal Edge Chelsea in Cup Thriller

Arsenal's 3-2 triumph over Chelsea on Wednesday handed Liam Rosenior a testing introduction to life at Stamford Bridge, with Viktor Gyokeres adding his name to the scoresheet in what proved a competitive cup encounter at the Emirates.

Ben White and Martin Zubimendi also found the net for Mikel Arteta's side, before substitute Alejandro Garnacho's brace gave Chelsea genuine encouragement heading into the second leg scheduled for early February. Gyokeres' strike—a straightforward finish from close range following Robert Sanchez's fumble—represented only his second goal in nearly three months, a statistic that has drawn considerable scrutiny given his £64 million summer move from Sporting.

Yet for all the improvement on display, Sky Sports analyst Jamie Redknapp pinpointed a structural issue potentially working against the Swedish forward. Footage showed Gyokeres visibly frustrated when Saka spurned a chance to pick him out in the box moments before White's low delivery found its way through Sanchez's hands and onto the striker's boot inside the six-yard area.

"This was a good night for Viktor Gyokeres," Redknapp reflected on air. "An exceptional night."

The pundit went on to explain the tactical mismatch: "The crosses he'd typically receive at Sporting came from right-footed defenders on the right flank and left-footed defenders on the left. At Arsenal, Bukayo Saka operates on the right, but he's left-footed. When he gets into those crossing positions, his instinct is to cut back rather than deliver across the face of goal. That's where the frustration stems from."

Speaking immediately after the final whistle, Gyokeres acknowledged the difficulty of the encounter. "I thought it was tough," he said. "We were solid defensively and they're always dangerous on the break, but I felt we handled that well. Conceding twice wasn't ideal, though scoring three gives us a platform moving forward. It's still all to play for in the second leg, but getting a win and an advantage is obviously positive. We'll need to produce another strong performance when we go back."

On his goal drought and Wednesday's breakthrough, Gyokeres added: "That's what I'm here to do and I can certainly do it more often. Today's victory keeps us moving in the right direction."

His measured tone, however, didn't go unnoticed. Former Chelsea frontman Jimmy Floyd Hasselbaink expressed surprise at the striker's demeanour during his post-match interview. "I would have liked to see him smile a bit more," Hasselbaink observed on Sky Sports. "Yes, Arsenal have higher standards and that's what they demand. But you've just beaten Chelsea at Stamford Bridge—that's not straightforward. You've won the match and you've scored. You might feel you could've done better and want more from yourself, but sometimes you need to take a moment to appreciate what you've achieved."