🔗 Share this article

In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that every Arsenal followers have been praying for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the moment his luck shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they go in.

On the back 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 tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the home faithful, his face-covering routine modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Early Challenges

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his time in football. 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 astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable 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 likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Yet having attracted criticism that he was carrying a few too many pounds after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker pursued each opportunity as if his life depended on it. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the opening goal would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.