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If Viktor Gyökeres develops into the forward that each Arsenal followers have been wishing for, then possibly they will recall this night as the moment his destiny shifted. According to the classic forward’s saying, it isn’t important 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 acquired for a hefty fee in the summer, a massive sense of release swept 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 serious contenders this season.

Stunning Reversal in Form

Within moments and to the joy of the home faithful, his Bane-inspired gesture borrowed from the antagonist Bane in Batman, whose catchphrase is “attention came only with the disguise,” was given another airing after kneeing in from Gabriel Magalhães’s header following a Declan Rice corner to complete the rout against Atlético Madrid. Down on the touchline, Arteta raised his fists and signaled enthusiastically in the direction of his new centre forward, of whom he has spent the past two weeks insisting the peak performance awaited.

“This is football, and we must not assume a player to switch environments and have him do the same thing instantly,” the Arsenal manager stated in a discussion with the Spanish newspaper Marca ahead of the fixture. “Circumstances vary greatly. All players in the world need one thing: their state of mind to be at its peak. I told Viktor in our introductory chat that the No 9 I wanted for Arsenal was someone who could remain strong psychologically when they experienced a dry spell without scoring. If not, you’re not good enough at this level. That’s why I have a lot of faith in him.”

Formative Hurdles

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 toughen up to make it in his selected career. Admonished after a disappointing display by a coach who said he didn’t have the mentality to excel in top-level football, he ended up being converted from a flank attacker into a striker after signing for Brommapojkarna two years later. “That one stuck with me and I recall it now,” he said recently.

Testing Period

Having failed to score since the triumph over Nottingham Forest at home back on 13 September, this has been one of the toughest stretches of his career. Gyökeres was sharply rebuked after Sweden were beaten by Kosovo and Switzerland in World Cup qualifiers in the past fortnight, with one newspaper describing his performance against the latter as “invisible.”

He recorded an astounding 54 goals in 52 appearances in all tournaments for Sporting last season, so the issue is obviously not his goal conversion. As Arteta has frequently pointed out, his complete game has provided additional depth in offense, even if the openings have not come to him.

Match Highlights

This was clearly apparent during the opening period of this elite matchup between two teams that had initially seemed well-balanced. There was a feeling that Gyökeres was trying too hard to impress as he charged around like a bull in a china shop during the early stages. An Eberechi Eze shot that bounced on to the bar inside the opening five minutes was originated from some clever dribbling on the edge of the Atlético area that cleverly escaped from his defender, José María Giménez.

The defender 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 playing in only his second Champions League campaign after scoring a hat-trick for Sporting against Manchester City last season that probably significantly contributed to persuading Arteta to make the move.

Constant Hustle

Yet having drawn comments that he was overweight after sitting out the buildup in Portugal, Arsenal’s considerably trimmer striker chased down every ball 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 finishing Bukayo Saka’s cross and it did not happen until later that the Swede had his initial opportunity.

A brilliant pass from Martinelli created an ideal chance, only for Jan Oblak to quickly smother an weak effort towards goal. At that point it must have seemed as if the first score would elude him. But the goals flowed when Gabriel nodded in 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.