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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the point his luck shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Within moments and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I desired at 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.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his selected career. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has provided additional depth in attack, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages 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 air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny 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 drawn into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the first score would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the man in the mask made his mark. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.