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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that each Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the juncture his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the home faithful, his face-covering routine modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old 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 succeed in his selected career. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in elite soccer, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in attack, even if the chances have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he charged around like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to make the move.

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 pursued each opportunity as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled 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 set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would never come. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.