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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that all Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the moment his luck changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a massive sense of release 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.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Shortly after and to the excitement of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Circumstances vary greatly. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its optimum. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

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 excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is evidently not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

However having drawn comments that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. 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 initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.