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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that all Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then possibly they will recall this night as the point his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in 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 serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate 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 ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his vocation. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised 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 “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he charged around like a force of nature during the opening minutes. 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 skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage 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 persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Unyielding Drive

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents 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 merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the first score would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.