Arsenal Fans Rage as ‘Horrendous’ Viktor Gyokeres Footage Emerges vs Nottingham Forest
Viktor Gyokeres had another pretty dismal outing as Arsenal couldnt get past Nottingham Forest in a stalemate at the City Ground on January 17 2026.
And though the result bumped the Gunners lead at the top of the Premier League up to 7 points – because of that 2-0 Manchester United win over Manchester City earlier in the day – the fans were still fuming at their £55m summer signing .
Missed Opportunity to Go Nine Points Clear
Arsenal were big favourites going into the match, wanting to capitalise on their rivals slip-up & make a real gap for themselves. But a tough Forest defence combined with some woeful finishing from the visitors meant the points got shared.
The Gunners had loads of the ball but just couldnt create anything clear & simple for themselves, & Gyokeres at the center of it all was where a lot of the criticism was aimed.
Mikel Arteta side are still well ahead in the Premier League but this wasnt a performance that inspired a lot of confidence.
Key Moment: Gyokeres Denied by Brilliant Murillo Recovery
The obvious one came in the first half when Murillos mistake let Gyokeres in on goal and had him 1 on 1 with the keeper.
Also Read: Why Arsenal Were Denied a Penalty After Forest Handball: Premier League Explains
But then the centre-back makes a 50 yard sprint to catch up & block the shot before the Gunners man could get a look in. And really that just about summed up Gyokers afternoon – lots of good work undone by a moment of bad decision making.
Fans quickly took to social media to let rip over the footage of the chance and question what was going on.
Fan Backlash: Calls For Gyokeres to be Cut Loose Get Louder and Louder
Arsenal supporters went absolutely wild online, ripping into Gyokeres’ performance. Loads of people have been labelling his display as completely unacceptable for someone expected to be leading the team’s line.
- One bloke got in a dig calling him an absolute donkey , pointing out his struggles in the big moments were just too much to handle.
The backlash didnt stop there even with the final whistle, with supporters calling out his composure, physical presence, and fit in the team:
- One fan didn’t hold back: “Viktor Gyôkeres is the worst striker I’ve ever seen in an Arsenal shirt. Yaya Sanogo was way better than him. He can’t even control the ball, he doesn’t win aerial duels, very poor positioning, his finishing is awful.” (@SilasAjir)
- Another echoed the sentiment: “I might have to say this, I think GYOKERES is in process of becoming the worst striker to ever play for arsenal. Yes, I said it. He’s that bad.” (@makininazo)
- A supporter highlighted the specific moment: “If this is not proof that Viktor Gyokeres is not good enough for Premier League football, let alone Arsenal, I really don’t know what is. Poor bloke needs to be put out of his Arsenal misery. How did he let Murillo recover from a tripping position?” (@Kiinya_Y)
- Frustration boiled over in this post: “Yes, Gyokeres is not entirely the problem of Arsenal but the boy is so bad at football, Go watch the highlights of the Nottingham forest game, My days, Gyokeres makes us look like we are playing 10 players against 11 players.. Nelli, Gyok and Jesus should get the hell out.” (@DaniyelGlass)
While some fans are giving the 27-year-old a bit of a break saying that the step up from the Portuguese league has been a big one, loads of others are saying he’s consistently underperformed since he arrived at the club.
Dismal Footage: Stats Show How Badly Gyokeres Did
The stats from his game were pretty grim reading:
- He managed to only get 4 of his passes in
- He only had 10 touches in the whole 90 minutes
- He had just 1 attempt on goal – and that was blocked
- He got dismessed twice (fairly standard really, but still not great)
- He lost 7 duels which was the most on the pitch at the time he got subbed
Arteta yanked him out of the game after just 57 minutes and brought on Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Jesus to try and shake things up a bit. The early withdrawal said a lot about how Mikel was feeling about his main striker.
Player/ Management Reaction
Mikel Arteta had some pointed words about Gyokeres’ performance in his post-match press conference, choosing his words carefully but definitely leaving no doubt that he’d like to see some more decisiveness up front:
“Obviously we want the lads to be making those big decisions at this level because we need goals and some of those moments where everything can change – that’s where the game opens up and we can get that breakthrough & you can tell the rest from there” Arteta said about Viktor Gyokeres vs Forest (@ArsenalBuzzCom)
Arteta had already given Gyokeres his marching orders at the 57minute mark & he made a few other attacking changes – it was pretty clear he wasn’t happy with the situation. We still haven’t heard from Gyokeres himself but Arteta’s comments are a pretty clear sign that the pressure is on the Swedish striker to step up the game if Arsenal are going to keep pushing for that title.
The draw keeps Arsenal seven points clear at the top but after that blocked shot from Gyokeres & a few other near misses it’s fair to say the fans are a little frustrated. With the tough games coming up, the debate about Gyokeres’ £55m+ price tag is only going to get more heated.
Arteta’s Job on the Line as Title Hopes Hang on Finding a Better Striker
Now, we know Gyokeres has scored 8 goals across all competitions this season but overall, he just hasn’t done what we were all expecting of him. And to be honest, that was a big part of the reason the club signed him in the first place – to be the player who would fire us to the title.
But he’s yet to deliver on that promise in the Premier League so far. You could say the defenders he faced were tough – I mean, Nikola Milenkovic and Murillo are not exactly a pushover – but loads of people are starting to wonder if Arteta’s tactics are right for Gyokeres, or if a change is actually needed.
The January transfer window is open, and while a draw keeps us in the title hunt, the pressure on Arteta is really starting to build and so are the calls from fans for a different striker option altogether.
Also Read: Arsenal to Wear Modified Away Kit Against Nottingham Forest After Premier League Request
Arsenal Fans Rage as ‘Horrendous’ Viktor Gyokeres Footage Emerges vs Nottingham Forest