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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the striker that every Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the juncture his destiny shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a massive sense of release swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues 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. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its optimum. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his chosen profession. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he ended up being converted from a wide player into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is evidently not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in offense, even if the openings have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he bustled about like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only 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 secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact 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 did not happen until later that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.