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Should Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that each Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the point his destiny 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 his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a tremendous feeling of ease engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Remarkable Shift in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, 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 ahead of the fixture. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this level. 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 located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his selected career. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. 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 “absent.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his complete game has added a new layer in offense, even if the chances have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he charged around like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is vastly experienced at this stage 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 secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having attracted criticism that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker pursued each opportunity as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution 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 finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.