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Should Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that every Arsenal supporters have been wishing for, then perhaps they will look back on this night as the point his luck turned around. According to the classic forward’s saying, it makes no difference how they go in.

After a run of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and expectations rising on the man signed for £64m in the offseason, a massive sense of release engulfed the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from near distance via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side showed again that they are here to compete this season.

Dramatic Turnaround in Form

Within moments and to the excitement of the local supporters, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the villain Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “I was ignored before the mask,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to finish the demolition against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta celebrated wildly and gestured animatedly in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the previous 14 days insisting the best was yet to come.

“This is football, and we shouldn’t anticipate a player to change contexts and have him replicate his form immediately,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Situations are not the same. Each athlete anywhere need one thing: their mental condition to be at its optimum. I told Viktor in our initial discussion that the center forward I sought for Arsenal was someone who could hold up mentally when they faced a goal drought without scoring. Otherwise, you’re not good enough at this level. 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 located in Stockholm’s southern suburbs, that Gyökeres first recognized he would have to toughen up to make it in his chosen profession. Rebuked 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 joining Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I think about it often,” he said in a recent interview.

Challenging Spell

Having failed to score since the victory against Nottingham Forest in London back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his professional life. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked 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 “unnoticeable.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the difficulty is obviously not his scoring ability. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his complete game has provided additional depth in offense, even if the chances have not been in his favor.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the first half of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked evenly matched. There was a impression that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he bustled about like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that glanced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that skillfully evaded from his defender, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan 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 must have gone a long way to influencing Arteta to secure the signing.

Relentless Effort

However having attracted criticism that he was carrying a few too many pounds after missing most of pre-season in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker harried all opponents as if his life depended on it. Giménez was tricked into conceding a caution when Gyökeres collided with him on the edge of the Atlético area having simply held his position. Gabriel Martinelli saw his effort disallowed for offside after finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it only came in the second half that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli provided a golden opportunity, only for Jan Oblak to promptly save an hesitant shot towards goal. At that point it must have appeared that the breakthrough would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was able to take full advantage as the masked striker made his mark. “Ideally this is the start of some beautiful sequences,” said a delighted Arteta.