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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that each Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the moment his luck changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out 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 based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has added a new layer in the final third, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this stage 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 influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker pursued each opportunity 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 only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the opening goal would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker made his mark. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.