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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the forward that each Arsenal supporters have been praying for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the point his destiny turned around. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they find the net.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from close range via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again 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 raised his fists and gestured animatedly in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“Such is soccer, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their mental condition to be at its optimum. I informed Viktor in our initial discussion that the striker I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this tier. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Early Challenges

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to develop a thick skin to succeed in his selected career. Rebuked after a disappointing display by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to excel in top-level football, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked 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 “invisible.”

He managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his goal conversion. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Match Highlights

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to stand out as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is vastly experienced at this level 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 must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was out of shape after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a yellow card when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. At that stage it must have felt like the first score would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker announced his presence. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.