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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that each Arsenal followers have been praying for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the juncture his luck shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, 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 finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I told Viktor in our first meeting 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 suited at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his vocation. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times 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 “unnoticeable.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in attack, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having attracted criticism that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his future was at stake. Giménez was drawn 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 goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the opening goal would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.