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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that each Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the point his fortune turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his selected career. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he was eventually transformed from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has added a new layer in offense, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to stand out as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan 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 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 persuading Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the breakthrough would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.