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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that each Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the point his luck turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the offseason, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from close range via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the local supporters, his face-covering routine modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion 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 best. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not good enough at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to succeed in his chosen profession. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his professional life. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was set up by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this level 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 likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

However having attracted criticism that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn 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 goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.