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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that all Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the juncture his fortune turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the offseason, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I wanted for 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 standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Early Challenges

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to make it in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in professional play, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the win 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 defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously 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 openings have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, 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 influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the first score would elude him. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.