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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that every Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the moment his fortune turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

Following a streak 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 offseason, a massive sense of release swept over 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 demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Shortly after and to the delight of the local supporters, his face-covering routine modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to make it in his vocation. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

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 overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard 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 influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

However having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was drawn into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break 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 felt like the first score would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.