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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the moment his fortune turned around. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from near distance via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Within moments and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. All players in the world 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 stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to make it in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in top-level football, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked 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 remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his goal conversion. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in offense, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Match Highlights

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly 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.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his life depended on it. Giménez was fooled into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the first score would elude him. But the dam burst when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “With any luck this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.