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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that each Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the juncture his fortune changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak 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 tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from close range via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Within moments and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we can’t expect 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 state of mind to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not good enough at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Early Challenges

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 develop a thick skin to thrive in his selected career. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated 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 managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in offense, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having attracted criticism that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was drawn into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask made his mark. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.