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If Viktor Gyökeres transforms into the attacker that each Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then maybe they will look back on this night as the moment his fortune shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they hit the back of the net.

On the back of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres scuffed home from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a electrifying second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Fortune

Less than three minutes later and to the excitement of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was showcased again 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 celebrated wildly and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his recent signing, of whom he has spent the last fortnight insisting the finest displays lay ahead.

“Such is soccer, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager said in an interview with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Things are very different. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its peak. I informed Viktor in our introductory chat that the center forward I desired at Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not good enough at this level. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Formative Hurdles

When he was just 14 playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are located in Stockholm’s outskirts, that Gyökeres first realised he would have to toughen up to succeed in his chosen profession. Criticised after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That comment resonated and I still remember it today,” he said recently.

Difficult Phase

Goal-shy since the victory against Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was heavily criticised 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 achieved an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the problem is evidently not his scoring ability. As the manager has often noted, his complete game has provided additional depth in attack, even if the openings have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was certainly in evidence during the opening period of this high‑quality encounter between two teams that had at first appeared evenly matched. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was pressing too much 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 first few moments was created by some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his opponent, José María Giménez.

The defender has the aura of a man who could create tension effortlessly but is highly seasoned at this stage 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 make the move.

Relentless Effort

However having faced scrutiny that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker harried all opponents as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres ran into him on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his attempt canceled for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his opening chance.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an unconvincing toe-poke towards goal. Then it must have felt like the opening goal would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was ready to capitalize as the man in the mask made his mark. “Ideally this is the beginning of a great run,” said a delighted Arteta.