🔗 Share this article

Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the point his destiny changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the local supporters, his face-covering routine modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this tier. 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 southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his professional life. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has added a new layer in attack, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he bustled about like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was overweight 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 booking when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the first score 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 announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.