🔗 Share this article

In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that all Arsenal followers have been praying for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the moment his destiny turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Within moments and to the delight of the local supporters, his face-covering routine modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not good enough at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to make it in his selected career. Criticised after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he bustled about like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having attracted criticism that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the opening goal would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker announced his presence. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.