Alan Shearer singled out ‘exceptional’ Viktor Gyokeres for praise after Arsenal beat Atletico Madrid to reach the Champions League final.
The semi-final tie was perfectly poised after a 1-1 draw in Madrid last week and little separated the sides at the Emirates Stadium on Tuesday night.
Bukayo Saka produced the defining moment, reacting first to a Jan Oblak save to prod home the decisive goal and send Arsenal to Bundapest.
Shearer admitted Arsenal were far from at their best on a cagey night in north London but was impressed with their battling spirit against Diego Simeone’s Atletico.
Premier League record goalscorer Shearer was particularly impressed by the performance of striker Gyokeres, who gave the Atletico centre-backs all kinds of problems and played a role in Arsenal’s winner.
Gyokeres, who joined Arsenal for £64m last summer, did miss a glorious chance to put the tie to bed but Shearer was nevertheless still impressed by the Sweden international.
‘Apart that miss his centre forward play has been superb,’ Shearer said on Prime Video.
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‘His running off the ball, his hold up play for his team, taking knocks all night and making runs… he really has been exceptional.
‘It’s exactly the type of performance his team needed from him and something to build on. He offered Arsenal so much tonight.’
Discussing Arsenal’s victory more generally, Shearer added: ‘It wasn’t a vintage performance but it didn’t have to be.
‘It had to be a performance to get them to a Champions League and that’s exactly what they delivered.
‘They had to fight and scrap for every ball tonight and when they got the chance to score they did. That was enough to get them through to the final, so well done Arsenal.
‘They’re so close to making history now, they have one final and three league games to do something this club has never done and win an incredible double.
‘It’s a very, very promising position and this will do a lot for their confidence and belief.’
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