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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then maybe they will recall this night as the point his luck turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Within moments and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate 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. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to build resilience to succeed in his chosen profession. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in professional play, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he charged around 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 quick moves 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 provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned 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 influencing Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

However having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn 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 attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that stage 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 able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.