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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that all Arsenal fans have been wishing for, then maybe they will recall this night as the moment his fortune shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they find the net.

On the back of nine matches for club and country without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from close range via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“This is football, and we can’t expect a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to thrive in his vocation. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in professional play, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Having failed to score since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in offense, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this standard 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 make the move.

Relentless Effort

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the breakthrough would elude him. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in 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 commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.