As if everything was arranged. Ben White crossed the ball into the penalty area and Viktor Gyokeres appeared in the right place to tap the ball close range into the opponent's net. Both were once teammates in the Brighton youth team, and the person who led them at that time was Liam Rosenior.
However, this is not just a nostalgic reunion. With a goal and an assist in Arsenal's 3-2 victory over Chelsea in the first leg of the Carabao Cup semi-finals, Gyokeres may have chosen the right time to assert his value.
The Swedish striker's goal came from a close-range finish when the goal was wide open, and the assist for Martin Zubimendi looked like a simple backheel. But the common point of both situations was that Gyokeres was surrounded by many opposing defenders.
In his own goal, two Chelsea players were forced to rush in to block when Gyokeres launched a shot. In the situation where Zubimendi scored, the Spanish midfielder had enough space to shoot because Gyokeres attracted three defenders, before making the decisive pass.
That is clear evidence of the fact that Gyokeres is one of the players with the most limited operating space in the Premier League. However, this performance also shows that the Swedish striker is gradually adapting to the strict requirements in Arsenal's system.
The ability to attract and stretch the opponent's defense is becoming a big plus for Gyokeres this season. It is no coincidence that 2 of Arsenal's 3 goals in this match came from wing attacks in open situations.
Creating space for crosses and crosses into dangerous areas is a skill that Mikel Arteta highly appreciates in Gyokeres. This becomes even more important in the context that Arsenal has not owned a true center forward for the past three seasons.
The expectation for him is always to score, and we demand even more than that. His contributions to the team are very great. Sometimes that is not fully seen from the outside, but we understand that value" - Arteta shared after the match, calling Gyokeres' performance really good.
Amidst doubts surrounding scoring efficiency, signs have emerged that Gyokeres is bringing more to the overall play. Right in the first half at Stamford Bridge, this striker escaped marking and launched a shot that touched the person and changed direction, only lacking a little accuracy to become a goal.
The same thing happened in the 3-2 victory over Bournemouth, when Gyokeres attracted a series of defenders in a run up following Gabriel Martinelli's pass, thereby opening up space for Declan Rice to score from the second line.
If he hadn't run that place, held the ball and passed back, the goal wouldn't have happened. We wouldn't have reversed the situation without him.
Defenders in the Premier League always find ways to limit Viktor because he is one of the best strikers. That makes the match more difficult, but he still finds ways to help the team" - Rice said.
Of course, Gyokeres still has a lot of work to do. Stability is the key factor, and Arsenal has witnessed this with many former strikers. He scored consecutive goals against Atletico Madrid and Burnley, but then stagnated before regaining confidence with a penalty against Everton.
His best quality is scoring goals. Today he has had many opportunities. If he continues to score in the upcoming matches, all doubts will gradually disappear" - Arteta added.
Perhaps, this is the beginning of a brighter period for Gyokeres, although the road ahead still requires much patience and consistency.
