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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that all Arsenal followers have been praying for, then possibly they will recall this night as the juncture his fortune shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Shortly after and to the joy of the home faithful, his face-covering routine modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate 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 prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Formative Hurdles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to make it in his selected career. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in professional play, he was eventually transformed 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 triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He recorded an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has added a new layer in offense, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this standard 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 probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked 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 finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have felt like the first score would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.