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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that each Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the juncture his destiny changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it doesn’t matter how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in 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 here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Shortly after and to the excitement of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, 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 situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to thrive in his vocation. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in professional play, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments 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 added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he bustled about like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. 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 goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.