Alan Shearer praises Viktor Gyokeres attitude despite savage Gary Lineker verdict

Alan Shearer praised Viktor Gyokeres for taking the penalty against Everton, but Gary Lineker claimed the Arsenal striker isn't even "in the same league as Erling Haaland"

Gary Lineker believes that Viktor Gyokeres isn't "in the same league as Erling Haaland" in a frank assessment of the Arsenal striker's performances at the club thus far, though Alan Shearer was much more praising of his ability. This follows the Swedish forward netting the decisive penalty for the Gunners in their hard-fought victory over Everton at the Hill Dickinson Stadium.

The north London side were handed a spot kick in the first half after Jake O'Brien was adjudged to have handled the ball in the box, a decision that was given after a VAR review. The subsequent goal marked his first league strike since early November, with the forward having endured difficulties adapting to Mikel Arteta's tactical approach whilst also receiving limited opportunities in front of goal.

For Lineker, though, while the goal proved useful, he believes there is a clear gap in quality in the options available to the teams at the top of the division. On The Rest Is Football podcast, he said: "Gyokeres has come in and I look at him, and he's you know, I don't want to be rude, but he's not in the same league as Erling Haaland.

"He was given the penalty yesterday wasn't he, to try and get him scoring after his recent injury..." Alan Shearer weighed in and said: "I like that, though. I like that he had the balls to get up and take it."

Lineker then chimed in: "I mean I like that he took it and it was a decent penalty which he scored, obviously. But I didn't like the fact that Saka didn't take it cause that was the only bad thing in my fantasy team."

Shearer offered further backing for the forward's boldness, saying: "I was pleased for him because it would've been easy to say 'nah, you take it Saka', or whoever," and "But I like that in someone where you're prepared to put your neck on the line basically because you haven't scored for a while."

He continued: "It was people talking, there's a bit of noise going on and it's 'no, give me the penalty'. And I thought the way he stuck it away was brilliant."

Ultimately, Gyokeres' spot-kick proved decisive, with that solitary strike securing maximum points for the Gunners. Arsenal could have made life easier for themselves, squandering multiple chances to put the contest beyond doubt earlier on - such as Leandro Trossard striking the post.

The forward has now bagged five Premier League goals and seven across all competitions as he continues his adaptation to life in north London. Reflecting on the Everton victory, he told the media: "Good, of course. It was a tough win away from home, but we took the three points and it was nice to score a goal.

"We spoke a little bit on the pitch [about who takes the penalty]. It was an easy talk and then I took it. To be fair, a few months ago I took one, and it was nice to take one again and to score. We don't think about it too much, we just wait for the decision. Then you know it's a penalty and you just wait for the normal procedure. Nothing special, really."

Gyokeres took the penalty, despite there being some seasoned penalty-takers among the group such as Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard. Whilst many felt a clinical finisher could be the crucial factor in Arsenal's title aspirations, the integration process has required patience from everyone involved.

Doubts linger over whether Arteta will continue to rely on Gyokeres moving forward, particularly as his striking options grow stronger. Gabriel Jesus has made his comeback following an ACL setback, with the attacker being carefully reintroduced to first-team football this campaign.

In his brief appearances, the Brazilian has demonstrated flashes of quality, proving he still has plenty to offer the squad this term. Additionally, there's Kai Havertz, who has been sidelined for the majority of the season with his own knee problems.

The German international is nearing a return in the new year, which will give Arteta three solid choices to select from, each bringing different attributes - alongside Mikel Merino, who has filled in as a makeshift forward during the absence of the trio. It means Gyokeres will need to keep stepping up his performances and his output, if he wants to be the go-to option for the weeks ahead in what is now a tight title race.