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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that every Arsenal fans have been praying for, then possibly they will recall this night as the point his fortune changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they find the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the home faithful, his mask celebration inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase 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 complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume 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 prior to the match. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his chosen profession. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is evidently not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he charged around like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez 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 competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

However having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the breakthrough would never come. But the goals flowed 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. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.