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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that each Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the juncture his destiny changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and expectations rising on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a glance 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 Form

Shortly after 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 given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Circumstances vary greatly. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to make it in his selected career. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously 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.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Unyielding Drive

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was drawn into conceding a caution when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the opening goal would elude him. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.