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If Viktor Gyökeres goes on to become the forward that every Arsenal fans have been praying for, then perhaps they will recall this night as the moment his destiny changed. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important how they go in.

Following a streak of nine matches for his team and national side without a goal and pressure mounting on the man signed for £64m in the offseason, a tremendous feeling of ease washed over the Emirates Stadium when Gyökeres guided in from point-blank via a glance off David Hancko during a pulsating second half when Mikel Arteta’s side proved yet again that they are here to compete this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Shortly after and to the excitement of the stadium crowd, his Bane-inspired gesture inspired by the character Bane in Batman, whose signature quote is “attention came only with the disguise,” was repeated once more after bundling over from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to seal the victory against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his star striker, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“That’s the game, and we shouldn’t anticipate 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 prior to the match. “Things are very different. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I advised Viktor in our first meeting that the striker I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could stay resilient when they went six or eight games without scoring. Failing that, you’re not good enough at this standard. That’s why I have a strong confidence in him.”

Youthful Struggles

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 build resilience to make it in his vocation. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in professional play, he ultimately switched from a wide player into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “Those words lingered and I recall it now,” he said in a recent interview.

Difficult Phase

Without a goal since the triumph over Nottingham Forest here back on 13 September, this has been one of the most testing periods of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were defeated 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 in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is clearly not his finishing. In line with the coach’s repeated comments, his complete game has added a new layer in attack, even if the chances have not fallen his way.

Key Moments

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this top-level clash between two teams that had originally looked well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to stand out as he charged around like a force of nature during the opening minutes. An Eberechi Eze shot that deflected on to the bar inside the first few moments was originated from some sharp footwork on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his marker, José María Giménez.

The Uruguayan has the air of a man who could create tension effortlessly 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 probably significantly contributed to influencing Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Yet having attracted criticism that he was carrying a few too many pounds after being absent for preparations in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball as if his life depended on it. Giménez was fooled into conceding a caution when Gyökeres made contact on the edge of the Atlético area having merely stood his ground. Gabriel Martinelli saw his goal ruled out for offside after converting Bukayo Saka’s cross and it wasn’t until after the break that the Swede had his opening chance.

A exquisite touch from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an hesitant shot towards goal. Then it must have felt like the first score would never come. But the dam burst when Gabriel headed home Rice’s free-kick and Gyökeres was perfectly positioned to benefit as the forward with the disguise announced his presence. “Hopefully this is the commencement of a prolific period,” said a delighted Arteta.