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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the striker that every Arsenal fans have been praying for, then possibly they will recall this night as the juncture his luck changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Shortly after and to the excitement of the local supporters, his face-covering routine borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to change contexts 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. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his chosen profession. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score 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 labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he charged around like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some sharp footwork 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 start a fight in an empty bar but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting 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 weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the first score would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.