🔗 Share this article

Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that all Arsenal fans have been praying for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the moment his luck shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the offseason, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase 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 complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to thrive in his chosen profession. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches 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 characterizing his outing against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has added a new layer in attack, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this level 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 secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker pursued each opportunity 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 merely stood his ground. 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 swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the opening goal would not arrive. 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 left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.