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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that all Arsenal fans have been praying for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the point his destiny turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his face-covering routine borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” 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 punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” 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 mental condition to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his goal conversion. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he charged around like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard 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 persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

However having drawn comments that he was overweight 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 tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have felt like the opening goal would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask left his imprint. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.