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Wayne Rooney has questioned Arsenal's penalty call after Viktor Gyokeres stepped up at 0-0 - insisting Bukayo Saka or Martin Odegaard should have taken responsibility instead.
Premier League legend Wayne Rooney believes Viktor Gyokeres should not have taken the decisive penalty in Arsenal's 1-0 victory over Everton on Saturday evening.
The Gunners were awarded a penalty kick after Everton defender Jake O'Brien was penalised for a clear handball. Before the penalty was taken, Gyokeres, Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard were all seen in discussion before the Sweden international stepped up.
In recent campaigns, Saka and Odegaard have shared the majority of Arsenal's penalty duties. That pair converted both of the club's spot-kicks last season. However, following Gyokeres' arrival in the summer, questions have been raised over whether big-money srtiker would assume responsibility.
Saka scored Arsenal's first penalty of the season in a 2-0 win over West Ham, and Rooney says that the England international should have been the one to take the spot-kick against Everton - not Gyokeres.
He said on The Wayne Rooney Show: "As a forward, at 0-0, I think your [main] penalty taker should be taking the penalty. I think if the game's done, the game's won then, yeah. But you know, at 0-0, your penalty taker has to be the one. If he misses that, then there's problems.
"I think your main penalty taker is your penalty taker for a reason. He should be the one to take the penalty. And I completely get it. I've give penalties to people who need a goal, but we've been three or four up.
"At 0-0, I know he's number nine, your goal-scorer and that you're doing it for confidence, but your penalty taker should be the one to take the penalty in a big game away from home, when you're going to try and win the league.
"So I think - thankfully from Arsenal's point of view - he scored, but it should have been, well Odegaard or Saka, whoever the penalty taker is. I think that they should have took it. It's worked out now, it's obviously worked out but if they miss, I think that's a big issue."
Any controversy was eased when the ball hit the back of the net, handing Gyokeres his fifth Premier League goal of the season. The 27-year-old is still yet to rediscover the prolific form he showed in Portugal, where he scored 39 goals in 33 matches last season.
“Yeah, he hasn't scored the goals which obviously he scored in the Portuguese league, but I think he does a bit more than what you see," Rooney added. "Like even last night [against Everton], he occupies the the two centre-backs and he occupied [James] Tarkowski and Michael Keane.
"I thought Mike was was brilliant again yesterday, he's been really good for everything but, what he does, he occupies them so that creates a bit more space then for your number 10 or your wide players who are coming inside.
"Or it just keeps the the centre-backs on their toes and and makes them aware that he's there and it creates a little bit more space for other players.
"So I think he is important for Arsenal and he's doing a a job for Arsenal which helps other players. He just hasn't got the goals which you'd expect from him."
Gyokeres' start to life in the Premier League was disrupted by an early injury that side-lined the 30-cap Swedish international for a month. Since returning from muscular issues, he has managed just one goal in six appearances across all competitions.
If selected in the starting XI on Tuesday night, Gyokeres will be hoping to make an impact in Arsenal's EFL Cup quarter-final against Crystal Palace. However, Mikel Arteta may opt to rotate his squad with a busy period now quickly approaching.
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