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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that each Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will reflect on this night as the point his fortune shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Shortly after and to the excitement of the home faithful, his mask celebration borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote 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 complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, 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 ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our initial discussion that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally 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.”

Early Challenges

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his vocation. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in elite soccer, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the win over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his professional life. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten 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 recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has provided additional depth in the final third, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable 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 influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

However having drawn comments 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 career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked 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 wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the first score would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.