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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that each Arsenal supporters have been hoping for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the point his destiny changed. As the old striker’s mantra goes, it isn’t important how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for club and country without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the summer, a huge wave of relief engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from close range via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they mean business this season.

Stunning Reversal in Luck

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after forcing home from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. On the sidelines, Arteta celebrated wildly and motioned emphatically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the peak performance awaited.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate 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. “Things are very different. Every footballer globally need one thing: their psychological state to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our first meeting that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not suited at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Youthful Struggles

Back in his early teens playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first understood he would have to toughen up to succeed in his chosen profession. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he was not mentally equipped to excel in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Goal-shy since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his professional life. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “absent.”

He achieved an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances across all competitions for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has added a new layer in the final third, even if the openings have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was plainly visible during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a sense that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he ran aggressively like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that niftily took him away from his opponent, José María Giménez.

Giménez has the aura of a man who could provoke conflict anywhere but is deeply knowledgeable at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is competing in merely his second Champions League campaign after bagging a triple for Sporting against Manchester City last season that likely played a key role to persuading Arteta to secure the signing.

Constant Hustle

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s noticeably leaner striker harried all opponents 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 merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after tapping in Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have appeared that the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel scored with a header Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the forward with the disguise made his mark. “With any luck this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.