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Should Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that every Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the moment his destiny turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Within moments and to the delight of the home faithful, his mask celebration modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Early Challenges

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a poor performance 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.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated 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 incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

However having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. 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 brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have felt like the first score would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.