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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that every Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the juncture his luck changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in 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 serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his mask celebration inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase 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. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically 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 must not assume a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough 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 based in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in elite soccer, he ultimately switched 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.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the victory against 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 beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected 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 defender, José María Giménez.

The defender has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season 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 yellow card when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the first score would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker left his imprint. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.