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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that each Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the juncture his fortune changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a ricochet off David Hancko during a thrilling second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Fortune

Within moments and to the joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta punched the air and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to move leagues and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca prior to the match. “Situations are not the same. All players in the world need one thing: their psychological state to be at its optimum. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this tier. 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 located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to build resilience to thrive in his vocation. Rebuked after a subpar outing by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in professional play, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Challenging Spell

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 time in football. Gyökeres was heavily criticised after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper labeling his display against the latter as “invisible.”

He achieved an remarkable 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the problem is obviously not his goal conversion. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his complete game has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the chances have not come to him.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much to impress as he ran aggressively like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is vastly experienced at this level 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 must have gone a long way to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Unyielding Drive

Yet having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was drawn 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 did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the opening goal would never come. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask left his imprint. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.