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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that each Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the point his destiny changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

After a run 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 summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Within moments and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again 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 signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat 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 suited 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 situated in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to build resilience to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in professional play, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has added a new layer in the final third, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he bustled about like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

The defender has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

Yet having drawn comments that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. 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 swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.