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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that all Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the moment his luck shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a huge wave of relief washed 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 demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Shortly after and to the excitement of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“That’s the game, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to succeed in his vocation. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the triumph 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 beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is evidently not his goal conversion. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his all‑round play has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the opportunities have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was set up by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents 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 merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.