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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that all Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the point his destiny changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his face-covering routine modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line 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 finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not suited 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 based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to make it in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the chances have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

The defender has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

Yet having attracted criticism that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the first score would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.