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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that all Arsenal fans have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the juncture his fortune turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from near distance via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Shortly after and to the excitement of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, 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 ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. Every footballer globally need one thing: their state of mind to be at its optimum. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to make it in his chosen profession. Admonished after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

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

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his scoring ability. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in the final third, even if the chances have not come to him.

Game Analysis

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a sense that Gyökeres was pressing too much to make an impact as he bustled about like a bull in a china shop during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The defender has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents as if his future was at stake. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have seemed as if the opening goal would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.