Man City vs. Arsenal: Kai Havertz breaks goalscoring drought as Mikel Arteta's trust in striker over Viktor Gyokeres pays off

Kai Havertz's goal for Arsenal against Manchester City on Saturday was his first in the Premier League since February 2025.

The Gunners endured a nightmare start at the Etihad, conceding to a Rayan Cherki strike in the early stages, though they were fortunate that City only hit the post minutes prior.

However, Mikel Arteta's side responded instantaneously through Kai Havertz, who closed down goalkeeper Gianluigi Donnarumma to score in the 18th minute.

That goal not only represented the forward's first in the Premier League this season, but it was his first goal in the league since February 2, 2025 against Man City.

Havertz suffered a serious knee injury in Arsenal's first game of the 2025-26 campaign against Manchester United in August, and he also suffered a serious hamstring issue in February last year.

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Does Kai Havertz call reveal Viktor Gyokeres failure?

Arteta brought Gyokeres to the club in the summer from Sporting Lisbon, and many thought that the striker would be the final piece of the puzzle for a side that had finished second three seasons in a row.

However, the Swede has struggled in the English top flight, failing to score in 21 of his 30 Premier League games this season.

It was concerning that Arteta left the centre-forward out of the starting lineup in the EFL Cup final against Man City earlier in March, and his exclusion in favour of Havertz should perhaps ring alarm bells amongs the Arsenal fanbase.

Though it is only his first season in England, he has consistently encountered difficulties in open play, whereas Havertz has been far more impactful despite his injury issues.

It would not be surprising if the Gunners were active in the transfer market for another number nine in the summer, though the Arsenal boss may be tempted to stick with Havertz if he can prove stay fit.

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Does Mikel Arteta have a problem with forward players?

Though Gyokeres has struggled, some fans and pundits have criticised the Gunners head coach for failing to get the most out of his forward players.

Indeed, no Arsenal player at the club has scored more than nine non-penalty goals in the Premier League this season, with star winger Bukayo Saka having only scored five non-penalty goals in the top flight this term.

If Arsenal wish to sustain title challenges in future seasons, Arteta may need to consider adopting a more offensive style of play, or at least adapting to the qualities of the players in his squad.