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Should Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that all Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the juncture his luck changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a massive sense of release swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his mask celebration borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Circumstances vary greatly. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in professional play, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his goal conversion. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in offense, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage 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 likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Yet having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds 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 caution when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the first score would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.