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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then possibly they will recall this night as the juncture his destiny turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, 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 demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Within moments and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote 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 finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, 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 switch environments and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its optimum. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his vocation. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in professional play, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Challenging Spell

Having failed to score since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. 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 across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has added a new layer in the final third, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he ran aggressively like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air 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 convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

Nevertheless having attracted criticism that he was out of shape 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 fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have felt like the first score would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.