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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that every Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the point his luck shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they find the net.

Following a streak 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 close season, a massive sense of release swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from near distance 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

Within moments and to the delight of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly 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.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Formative Hurdles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised 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 achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has added a new layer in offense, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this level 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 convincing Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having attracted criticism that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the opening goal would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.