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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that each Arsenal followers have been praying for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the moment his fortune changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the home faithful, his face-covering routine modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this tier. 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 outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to make it in his vocation. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has added a new layer in offense, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he charged around like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this standard 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 secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the opening goal would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask left his imprint. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.