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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that every Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then maybe they will recall this night as the juncture his fortune changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his mask celebration modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote 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 complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, 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 ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this tier. 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 located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to succeed in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has added a new layer in attack, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he bustled about like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

However having attracted criticism that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a booking 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 did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the opening goal would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.