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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 juncture his destiny shifted. 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 signed for £64m in the summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the local supporters, his mask celebration borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” 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 raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Early Challenges

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to build resilience to thrive in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were defeated 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 incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has added a new layer in offense, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked closely contested. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this standard 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.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker chased down every ball 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 simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the opening goal would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker left his imprint. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.