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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that all Arsenal fans have been wishing for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the moment his fortune turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak 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 huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Within moments and to the excitement of the home faithful, his mask celebration inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line 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 complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” 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 mental condition to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not good enough at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience 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 was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times 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 “invisible.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in attack, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed closely contested. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he bustled about like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, 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 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 persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution 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 did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.