A 27-minute treble from the Brazilian, who came into the match with only two goals this year, guided the Gunners into the Carabao Cup semi-finals.
Mikel Arteta was delighted to see Gabriel Jesus back among the goals for Arsenal (Mike Egeton/PA)
Mikel Arteta was delighted to see Gabriel Jesus back among the goals for Arsenal (Mike Egeton/PA) (PA Wire)
Mikel Arteta said Gabriel Jesus is “back at his best” after the Brazilian’s brilliant second-half hat-trick fired Arsenal into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Arsenal were trailing inside just four minutes against Crystal Palace after Jean-Philippe Mateta opened the scoring at the Emirates before Jesus came to his side’s rescue with a breathtaking 27-minute treble in a 3-2 victory.
Jesus headed into the last-eight fixture with only two goals this year, prompting Arteta to insist he would not be sold when the transfer window opens next month.
And Jesus repaid his manager’s faith with three goals that could breathe new life into not only his stuttering career, but Arsenal’s campaign too.
“I’m so pleased for him,” said Arteta. “It’s been a long period without goals and today, to score three goals, the three types of goals that he scored – and the many actions he was involved in – he looked very sharp.
“It’s a great thing for him and the team that we can rely on a player of such quality. Gabi at that level is a big asset for us. It is a big message for the team that we have Gabi back at his best. It’s now about consistency.
“This moment of spark will bring so much confidence to him. Now we need to take it and give him more games and chances. When a player is in that moment, it’s important for them to continue.”
Captain Martin Odegaard, who was introduced at half-time, played a role in all of Jesus’ goals, while Bukayo Saka, who also started the match on the bench, directly laid on Jesus’s second.
“They are two of our best players,” admitted Arteta when asked if his team remain over-reliant on Odegaard and Saka. “But we rely on the team and we rely on a lot of individuals like every other team to perform, to change games.”
Arteta has overseen just one trophy in his five years at Arsenal – a 2020 FA Cup triumph – and the Spaniard said ahead of Wednesday’s fixture that winning the Carabao Cup could provide a snowball effect for further glory.
But the Gunners were behind after just 184 seconds when Jakub Kiwior made a mess of a long ball and Mateta struck.
However, Jesus equalised with a cute dink nine minutes into the second half before he put Arsenal ahead after 73 minutes. He then completed his hat-trick nine minutes from time.
“The game started in a way we didn’t want with a very simple goal and then the team had to react in a great way,” added Arteta. “(They) showed a lot of character and so much desire to turn things around.”
Arsenal, six points behind Liverpool in the race for the Premier League title having played one match more, head to Selhurst Park on Saturday.
Palace boss Oliver Glasner said: “It was a perfect start, but we played with too much respect.
“I said before the game that we needed a performance at our top level to win, and it wasn’t a performance at our top level.
“It is positive that we scored two goals, but it is also frustrating because when you score two goals at the Emirates, it should at least go to a penalty shoot-out.
“Their second goal was offside. But there is no VAR, everybody knows this. We gave them too many chances. And then it was just a question of time as to when they would score.”