Featured Image Credit: Sky Sports
Topics: Viktor Gyokeres, Arsenal, Football
Nasir Jabbar
Viktor Gyokeres has revealed the meaning behind his new celebration after Arsenal fans noticed what he did after scoring his penalty.
Gyokeres opened his Arsenal account in his side's 5-0 thumping of Leeds United on Saturday.
He scored his first Premier League goal just three minutes after the restart as he produced a cool finish after driving into the box.
The Swede wheeled away in celebration and pulled out his trademark celebration as he crossed his fingers to form a 'mask' over his mouth.
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He delivered the same celebration when he converted a stoppage time penalty, which was won by Max Dowman, but added another element to his celebration that didn't go unnoticed among Arsenal fans.
After performing his 'mask' celebration, Gyokeres ran his fingers through his hair, jokingly fixing his barnet.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the result, Gyokeres confirmed his new celebration was a nod to online criticism as rival fans poked fun at his stats following his showing against Manchester United last weekend.
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He mocked his haters who joked that he had more hair flicks than touches at Old Trafford.
Asked by Dave Jones if his celebration was in response to fans mocking his debut, Gyokeres smirked and replied: "Yeah... it might be."
Gyokeres bagged a brace on his home Arsenal debut, having fired blank against Man United.
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He scored his side's third goal against Leeds before rounding off the scoring from the spot in stoppage time.
After his two-goal showing, the 27-year-old expressed his happiness at his strikes and the emphatic result.
"Of course, I am really happy with the result. Of course, it was very nice to score two goals as well," he told Sky Sports.
"It is always pressure. I know I'll take my chances sooner or later. We won 5-0 so it was a great day.
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"Of course, it was a short pre-season for me and not too many weeks training and then, of course, playing 90 minutes in pre-season.
"It was important for me to get 90 minutes and get the rhythm and to get to know the team even more during this game."
Gyokeres added: "I felt more comfortable in how we're playing, and I think you can see that as well.
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"I am comfortable when the ball is coming in-behind and then cutting inside. I know I'll take the chance when I have it like that.
"We have so many amazing players going forward. For me, it is important to be in the right place.
"It is difficult. All the teams we play against want to challenge us. We have to prepare for every game as best as possible, but we have an amazing team, and we train well and work hard every day.
"We have started off well with two wins and two clean sheets and a lot of goals. I think we are on the right path, but we can always do better and improve."