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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres develops into the attacker that all Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the moment his fortune shifted. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it makes no difference how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the close season, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they mean business this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the delight of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture modeled after the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and motioned emphatically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Circumstances vary greatly. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Failing that, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are situated in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to thrive in his selected career. Criticised after a subpar outing by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to make it in top-level football, he was eventually transformed from a winger into a striker after joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said not long ago.

Testing Period

Goal-shy 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 previous 14 days, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He recorded an astounding 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 provided additional depth in offense, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the first few moments was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura 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 bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

However having drawn comments that he was overweight after missing most of pre-season 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 collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have felt like the breakthrough would never come. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker left his imprint. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.