🔗 Share this article

If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that each Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the point his fortune shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the home faithful, his mask celebration borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air 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.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Early Challenges

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was heavily criticised 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 “unnoticeable.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

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 career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked 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 first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have felt like the breakthrough would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker made his mark. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.