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Should Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the striker that each Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the moment his destiny shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it doesn’t matter how they hit the back of 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 summer, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote 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 seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta punched the air and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition 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 tier. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to succeed in professional play, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest at home 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 previous 14 days, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “invisible.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the initial 45 minutes of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the first few moments was set up by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this level 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 likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker pursued each opportunity as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn into conceding a caution when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the first score would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “Hopefully this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.