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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that each Arsenal fans have been praying for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the point his fortune changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the summer, a massive sense of release swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the home faithful, his mask celebration modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on 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. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited 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 located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his chosen profession. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in professional play, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I think about it often,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Goal-shy 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 sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having attracted criticism that he was out of shape 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 tricked into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact 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 wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the first score would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.