🔗 Share this article

Should Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that all Arsenal fans have been wishing for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the point his destiny changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they find the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is evidently not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he ran aggressively like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having drawn comments that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the breakthrough would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker left his imprint. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.