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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that every Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the moment his fortune changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a ricochet 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 Form

Shortly after and to the delight of the local supporters, his face-covering routine inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to succeed in his selected career. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his professional life. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked 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 “invisible.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled 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 unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the opening goal would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker left his imprint. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.