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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that every Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the juncture his fortune shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Within moments and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its optimum. I advised 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 level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to make it in his vocation. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he charged around like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was tricked into conceding a caution when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the breakthrough would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.