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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that all Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the moment his fortune changed. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was showcased again after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. From the technical area, Arteta celebrated wildly and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“That’s the game, and we can’t expect 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 ahead of the fixture. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Early Challenges

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to succeed in his selected career. Rebuked after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I recall it now,” he said not long ago.

Difficult Phase

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the hardest times of his professional life. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper characterizing his outing against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the problem is clearly not his finishing. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to make an impact as he ran aggressively like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could create tension effortlessly 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 likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was drawn into conceding a caution when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have seemed as if the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “Hopefully this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.