Mikel Arteta hailed Viktor Gyökeres for reaching the “highest level” after the Sweden international scored twice in Arsenal’s 3-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday.

The victory extended the Gunners’ lead at the top of the Premier League to nine points as they chase their first English title in 22 years.

Martin Zubimendi opened the scoring with a fine strike just before half-time at the Emirates, before Gyökeres put the game beyond doubt in the second half. The striker first lashed home a shot from Kai Havertz’s pass and later tapped in an empty-net finish from Gabriel Martinelli in stoppage time.

Gyökeres, who struggled initially to replicate the prolific form that earned him a £64 million move from Sporting Lisbon, has now emerged as Arteta’s top scorer, with 13 goals in all competitions — including six in his last eight appearances.

“Confidence is the magic word. When you feel confident, when you feel important, when you feel at your best, that’s when you can really take your game to the highest level,” Arteta said.

“We are really behind him in every moment, to support him. He is delivering and he’s in a really good moment now. Obviously, when you put that shirt on, there is a lot of responsibility and huge expectation, and you need to live with that.”

Manchester City could reduce the gap at the summit back to six points on Sunday, but they must secure their first win at Liverpool in front of a crowd since 2003 to do so.

Arteta said he would be keeping an eye on the clash between the two sides that have dominated English football over the past decade, but insisted Arsenal still have plenty of work to do in their title push.

“We still have to win so many games to achieve what we want,” the Spaniard added.
“I’m going to have a beautiful dinner tonight. Tomorrow I start preparing for Brentford on Thursday, because it’s going to be a really tough one. And in the meantime, I will be watching a big, big game.”