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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that every Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the moment his destiny shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum 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 proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Within moments and to the excitement of the home faithful, his mask celebration borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase 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 celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we can’t expect 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. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to make it in his selected career. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Difficult Phase

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 professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten 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 achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some sharp footwork 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 highly seasoned at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn into conceding a caution when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the first score would never come. But the dam burst when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask made his mark. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.