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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that each Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then maybe they will recall this night as the juncture his destiny turned around. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease 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 here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the home faithful, his mask celebration borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to make it in his selected career. Criticised after a disappointing display by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the win over 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 overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in offense, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he ran aggressively like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped 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 standard 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 likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

However having attracted criticism 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 life depended on it. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the opening goal would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.