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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that all Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the point his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his face-covering routine borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more 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 raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Early Challenges

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to make it in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his professional life. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has added a new layer in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had initially seemed closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

Yet having attracted criticism that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask made his mark. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.