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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that every Arsenal followers have been praying for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the point his fortune shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the offseason, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this tier. 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 located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his chosen profession. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned 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 “absent.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to stand out as he bustled about like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely 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 persuading Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was drawn into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. 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 sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the opening goal would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.