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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that every Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then possibly they will recall this night as the point his luck changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they mean business this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Within moments and to the joy of the home faithful, his face-covering routine modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, 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 prior to the match. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Formative Hurdles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in top-level football, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the win over 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 defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in offense, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible 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 bustled about 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 sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned 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 probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him 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 did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the first score would elude him. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker made his mark. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.