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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that all Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the juncture his luck shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they go in.

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 tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from close range via a glance off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Shortly after and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over 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 motioned emphatically 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 shouldn’t anticipate a player to move leagues and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its best. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient 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.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to make it in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his goal conversion. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the chances have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the first half of this elite matchup between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he charged around like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was created by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is highly seasoned at this level compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only 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.

Constant Hustle

Nevertheless having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer 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 merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting 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 unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the man in the mask made his mark. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.