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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that every Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then maybe they will recall this night as the point his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they find the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in 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.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the local supporters, his face-covering routine modeled after the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition 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 last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I wanted 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 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 located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to succeed in his vocation. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable 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 probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after tapping in 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 quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have felt like the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.