🔗 Share this article

If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that all Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the moment his luck changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they find the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Within moments and to the excitement of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this tier. 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 outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to make it in his chosen profession. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the victory against Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised 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 managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced 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 marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this stage 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 likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking 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 tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask made his mark. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.