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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that each Arsenal fans have been praying for, then maybe they will reflect on this night as the moment his fortune changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to make it in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to succeed in elite soccer, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Challenging Spell

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches 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 labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is evidently not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has provided additional depth in offense, even if the opportunities have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after netting three goals for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

Yet having attracted criticism that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker chased down every ball as if his future was at stake. Giménez was tricked 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 effort disallowed for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A sumptuous flick 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 appeared that the breakthrough would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the masked striker announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.