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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that all Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the point his destiny shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Within moments and to the delight of the home faithful, his face-covering routine borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was showcased again 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 motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient 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.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his selected career. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten 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 recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Yet having faced scrutiny 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 only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half 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 headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask left his imprint. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.