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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that every Arsenal followers have been praying for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the juncture his luck turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Shortly after and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not good enough at this level. 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 located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to thrive in his selected career. Criticised after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has added a new layer in the final third, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly 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 take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer 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 only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the opening goal would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.