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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that every Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the point his luck shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the offseason, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Shortly after and to the delight of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” 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 best. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to thrive in his vocation. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in elite soccer, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this stage 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 convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having drawn comments that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a booking 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 brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the first score would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.