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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that all Arsenal followers have been praying for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the point his fortune shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they find the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the offseason, a massive sense of release swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Shortly after and to the delight of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “nobody cared until I put on the mask,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically 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 must not assume a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” 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 mental condition to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Early Challenges

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to thrive in his vocation. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in elite soccer, 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

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his time in football. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced 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 convincing Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Yet having attracted criticism that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker chased down every ball 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 simply held his position. 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 opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the first score would not arrive. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask made his mark. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.