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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the striker that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the moment his destiny turned around. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance 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 joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after forcing home 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 new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in top-level football, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me 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 defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has added a new layer in attack, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having attracted criticism that he was carrying a few too many pounds after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn 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 initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have felt like the opening goal would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker made his mark. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.