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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the attacker that all Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the moment his destiny changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of the net.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Shortly after and to the delight of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character 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 complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“That’s the game, and we can’t expect a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not good enough 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 outskirts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger 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 victory against Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he bustled about like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is participating in just his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

However having drawn comments that he was carrying a few too many pounds after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn into conceding a booking when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after finishing 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 quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. Then it must have felt like the opening goal would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.