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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that all Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the juncture his luck changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Shortly after and to the delight of the local supporters, his face-covering routine modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to build resilience to make it in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy 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 widely panned after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced 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 opponent, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this level 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 secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.