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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the juncture his luck shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from close range via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the local supporters, his face-covering routine 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 motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, 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. “Circumstances vary greatly. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I told 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. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were overcome 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 achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has added a new layer in attack, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Yet having drawn comments that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have felt like 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 masked striker left his imprint. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.