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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that every Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then possibly they will look back on this night as the point his destiny changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Within moments and to the excitement 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 finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, 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 southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his selected career. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned 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 recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has provided additional depth in offense, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some clever dribbling 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 create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced 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 likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. 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 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 breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.