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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that every Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then possibly they will recall this night as the moment his fortune shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for club and country without a goal and expectations rising on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from close range via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

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 “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, 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. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this tier. 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 situated in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to build resilience to succeed in his selected career. Admonished after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to make it in top-level football, he ultimately switched from a flank attacker into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were defeated by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has added a new layer in the final third, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was out of shape after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker pursued each opportunity as if his future was at stake. 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 attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point 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 able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.