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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that every Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the point his destiny changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from close range via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the local supporters, his mask celebration inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” 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 raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this standard. 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 recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his selected career. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he was eventually transformed 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 in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest at home 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 previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he charged around like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

However having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was tricked 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 goal ruled out 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 exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the man in the mask made his mark. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.