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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that every Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the moment his destiny changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, 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 brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank 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.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Within moments and to the delight of the local supporters, his mask celebration modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists 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 change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to thrive in his selected career. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed 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 not long ago.

Testing Period

Without a goal 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 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 achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he charged around 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 originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the opening goal would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.