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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that each Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the juncture his fortune shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank 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.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Shortly after and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his mask celebration inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout 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 previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” 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 professional life. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was plainly visible during the first half of this top-level clash 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 force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some quick moves 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 deeply knowledgeable at this standard 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 convincing Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting 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 swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have felt like the opening goal would elude him. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask left his imprint. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.