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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the juncture his destiny changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, 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 brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over 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 showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Within moments and to the joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” 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 raised his fists 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.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Circumstances vary greatly. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this tier. 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 make it in his vocation. Criticised 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 in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly 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 probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

However having drawn comments that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup 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 collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have felt like the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header 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 beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.