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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that each Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the moment his fortune shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the offseason, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its optimum. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to make it in his vocation. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. 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 initial stages was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

However having drawn comments that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the first score would never come. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.