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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that each Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the point his luck turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Within moments and to the joy of the home faithful, his mask celebration borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after forcing home 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 motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect 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 best. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Early Challenges

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to succeed in his selected career. Criticised after a disappointing display by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the air of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

However having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a booking when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. 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 first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have felt like the first score would not arrive. But the floodgates opened 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.