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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the striker that every Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the moment his luck shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it doesn’t matter how they find the net.

Following a streak 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 close season, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from close range via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Within moments and to the delight of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the villain Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “nobody cared until I put on 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. On the sidelines, Arteta raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him perform identically right away,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its best. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the No 9 I desired at Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to make it in his vocation. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Challenging Spell

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 heavily criticised after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He recorded an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has added a new layer in attack, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was created by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this stage 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 likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape 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 tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the opening goal would never come. But the dam burst when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask left his imprint. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.