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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that each Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the moment his luck changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important 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 signed for £64m in the summer, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Within moments and to the delight of the home faithful, his face-covering routine inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not good enough at this tier. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

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 toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed in professional play, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home 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 beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

However having attracted criticism that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the opening goal would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask left his imprint. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.