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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the striker that each Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the moment his fortune shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Within moments and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Early Challenges

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to make it in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. 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 “invisible.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in offense, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages 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 create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this standard 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 must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

However having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents 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 merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the first score would elude him. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.