Wayne Rooney has heaped praise on Viktor Gyokeres following the Arsenal striker's standout performance in Saturday's convincing 3-0 victory over Fulham. The former Manchester United and Everton star highlighted Gyokeres' growing influence, as the forward continues to silence critics with his relentless form.
Gyokeres delivered one of his finest displays in an Arsenal shirt, scoring twice from open play and adding an assist in the dominant win. He also forced Fulham goalkeeper Bernd Leno into a couple of sharp saves, meaning his three goal contributions were the bare minimum his efforts deserved. After the match, Gyokeres made it clear the team's Premier League title ambitions remain very much alive.
"We never stopped believing," Gyokeres told Sky Sports. "We're not going to. That's how it is, and we keep going. A lot to play for still, we're just going to focus on the next one now."
Speaking on Match of the Day, Rooney—no stranger to high standards as a Premier League legend—was full of admiration for the Arsenal man.
"He was really impressive all afternoon today," Rooney said. "I'm really pleased for him because he has had a bit of stick. Of course, he'd like to score more against the big teams, but I don't think Arsenal have done that well against the big teams anyway this season. How you win league titles is being consistent, and I think consistently this season he has scored goals against the other teams."
Rooney also pointed to Gyokeres' impressive minutes-per-goal ratio, which ranks among the best in the league. "You see the players below him—Sesko, Ekitike, Welbeck, who has had a great season. His minutes-per-goal ratio is very good, and I think he's been such an important signing for Arsenal."
Regardless of the opposition, Gyokeres has now netted 21 goals across all competitions in the 2025/26 season, making him just the third Premier League player to reach the 20-goal mark this campaign. He also becomes the first Arsenal player to score 20 or more in his debut season since Alexis Sanchez, and only nine players in club history have managed more in their first year.
Notably, Gyokeres has already proven himself on the biggest stage this season, scoring a brace against Atletico Madrid in October and converting a penalty in the Champions League semi-final. With that kind of form, it's no wonder Rooney—and Arsenal fans everywhere—are taking notice.