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In the event that Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that each Arsenal followers have been hoping for, then maybe they will recall this night as the point his luck turned around. In keeping with the timeless attacker’s creed, it isn’t important how they go in.

On the back of nine matches for Arsenal and Sweden without a goal and scrutiny increasing on the man brought in for a substantial sum in the close season, a tremendous feeling of ease swept over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres tapped in from point-blank via a deflection off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side demonstrated once more that they are serious contenders this season.

Remarkable Shift in Form

Less than three minutes later and to the joy of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the character Bane in Batman, whose famous line is “I was ignored before the mask,” was given another airing after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout 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 last fortnight insisting the best was yet to come.

“That’s the game, and we can’t expect a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager remarked in a conversation with the Spanish newspaper Marca before this game. “Situations are not the same. Every footballer globally need one thing: their mental condition to be at its optimum. I advised Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Early Challenges

It was as a 14-year-old playing for IFK Aspudden-Tellus, who are based in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to develop a thick skin to thrive in his vocation. Criticised after a poor performance by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to succeed in professional play, he ultimately switched from a winger into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Testing Period

Without a goal since the victory against Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was widely panned after Sweden were overcome 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 managed an incredible 54 goals in 52 appearances throughout the season for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his finishing. As the manager has often noted, his all‑round play has given Arsenal an extra dimension in offense, even if the openings have not fallen his way.

Match Highlights

This was plainly visible during the initial 45 minutes of this top-level clash between two teams that had at first appeared closely contested. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was overexerting himself to impress as he charged around like a disruptive presence during the beginning phase. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the initial stages was originated from some quick moves on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the reputation of a man who could start a fight in an empty bar but is highly seasoned at this stage compared with Gyökeres, who is playing in only his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that must have gone a long way to persuading Arteta to take the plunge.

Constant Hustle

Yet having attracted criticism that he was overweight after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s much more svelte-looking striker chased down every ball as if his career hung in the balance. Giménez was drawn 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 effort disallowed for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his first sight of goal.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli set Gyökeres up perfectly, only for Jan Oblak to swiftly block an weak effort towards goal. At that stage it must have appeared that the first score would not arrive. But the floodgates opened when Gabriel nodded in Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “Ideally this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.