In the lead-up to Manchester City’s eventual 1-1 draw against Arsenal, Pep Guardiola would have paid special attention to Viktor Gyokeres.
Before Sunday’s encounter, the Swedish striker had made a strong start to his time at Arsenal — scoring three goals in four Premier League games.
Gyokeres scored a hat-trick against Manchester City as recently as last season when Sporting CP ran riot at the Jose Alvalade Stadium.
Manchester City’s defensive setup against Arsenal meant the 27-year-old’s threat was nullified.
Viktor Gyokeres ‘xG was zero during Arsenal vs Man City
Despite Arsenal dominating possession against Manchester City, Viktor Gyokeres took no shots during the game.
Furthermore, the former Sporting goalscorer even took the least number of touches (22) out of any player on the pitch.
As far as his xG [Expected Goals] was concerned, Gyokeres recorded a figure of zero as Arsenal shared the spoils with Manchester City — a stat that will satisfy Pep Guardiola as his gameplan restricted the forward.
However, the Stockholm-born marksman’s xA (Expected Assists) was 0.01.
Erling Haaland vs Gyokeres stats during Arsenal vs Man City
On the other hand, Erling Haaland was sensational on Sunday.
Rio Ferdinand believes Haaland dominated Arsenal’s centre-backs while watching the Manchester City number nine in action and the stats show that he outplayed his opposite number in Gyokeres.
| STATS DURING ARSENAL VS MANCHESTER CITY | ERLING HAALAND | VIKTOR GYOKERES |
| GOALS | 1 | 0 |
| XG + XA | 0.53 | 0.01 |
| SHOTS | 2 | 0 |
| TOUCHES | 26 | 22 |
| TOUCHES IN THE OPPOSITION BOX | 2 | 6 |
| DUELS WON | 3/10 | 2/7 |
Despite City being pegged back by the hosts, the Norwegian managed to get on the scoresheet, take two shots, muster up a figure of 0.53 in terms of his combined xG and xA while taking four more touches than his contemporary.
While Gyokeres’ career speaks for itself, this season has been yet another reminder that Haaland remains the gold standard for centre-forwards in English football.
