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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that every Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the moment his destiny changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the offseason, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating 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 joy of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing 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 raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I desired at 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 level. That’s why I have a great belief in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his chosen profession. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in professional play, he ended up being converted from a wide player 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

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is evidently not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

Yet having attracted criticism that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer 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 converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have felt like the opening goal would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.