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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the striker that all Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the moment his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the home faithful, his face-covering routine modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more 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 signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Early Challenges

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to make it in his vocation. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

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

He achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has added a new layer in attack, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to stand out as he charged around like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage 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 convincing Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having drawn comments that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the opening goal would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.