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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the moment his luck turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Shortly after and to the excitement of the local supporters, his mask celebration borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. If not, you’re not good enough at this level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Early Challenges

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to make it in his chosen profession. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an astounding 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 overall contribution has added a new layer in the final third, even if the openings have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable at this level 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 probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Nevertheless having attracted criticism that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the opening goal would not arrive. But the dam burst 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. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.