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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the juncture his fortune changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Shortly after and to the joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the villain 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 complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its best. I told Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his vocation. Criticised after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

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 overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he bustled about like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some clever dribbling 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 start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced 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 probably significantly contributed to convincing Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres collided with him 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 only came in the second half that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the opening goal would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker left his imprint. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.