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Should Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then possibly they will recall this night as the point his fortune changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, 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 pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Shortly after and to the excitement of the local supporters, his face-covering routine inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his vocation. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said recently.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has provided additional depth in attack, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just 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 influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

However having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his life depended on it. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution 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 finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the first score would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker made his mark. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.