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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that every Arsenal fans have been praying for, then maybe they will recall this night as the moment his luck turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a massive sense of release swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to make it in his vocation. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in professional play, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Challenging Spell

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

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Unyielding Drive

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker left his imprint. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.