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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the point his destiny turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Shortly after and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to build resilience to thrive in his selected career. Criticised 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. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some quick moves 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 provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned 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 probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Unyielding Drive

However having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking 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 converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have felt like the opening goal would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.