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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that each Arsenal fans have been wishing for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the juncture his luck turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, 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 finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his selected career. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has added a new layer in attack, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a caution when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the opening goal would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask left his imprint. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.