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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that all Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then possibly they will reflect on this night as the point his fortune shifted. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it makes no difference how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and expectations rising on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they mean business this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Within moments and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his face-covering routine borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” 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 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.

“That’s the game, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him replicate his form immediately,” 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 best. I told Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. If not, you’re not cut out at this standard. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s southside districts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to make it in his vocation. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he lacked the mindset to make it in professional play, he was eventually transformed from a wide player into a striker after moving to Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said recently.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the win over Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his time in football. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the last two weeks, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “unnoticeable.”

He achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is evidently not his goal conversion. As the manager has often noted, his overall contribution has given Arsenal an extra dimension in attack, even if the opportunities have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was certainly in evidence during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to make an impact as he bustled about like a disruptive presence during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the initial stages was set up by some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the air of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is deeply knowledgeable at this standard compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to convincing Arteta to take the plunge.

Relentless Effort

Nevertheless having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was tricked into conceding a booking when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having only been stationary. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his opening chance.

A sumptuous flick from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the breakthrough would not arrive. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the masked striker made his mark. “With any luck this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.