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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that each Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the point his destiny shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Within moments and to the excitement of the local supporters, his mask celebration modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his selected career. 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 wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked 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 “invisible.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has added a new layer in offense, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Match Highlights

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had initially seemed closely contested. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was set up by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to make the move.

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 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 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 opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have felt like the opening goal would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker left his imprint. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.