Jesus inspires Arsenal
Arsenal 3 - 2 Crystal Palace
Gabriel Jesus scored three second-half goals against Crystal Palace as the Gunners came from behind to reach the semi-finals.
They were his first goals at Emirates Stadium in a year and also only the second game he has scored in this season, following a strike against Preston - also in the EFL Cup - at the end of October.
Jesus has not scored in the Premier League since 30 January and Arteta hopes his treble will spur him to start finding the back of net in the league again to aid Arsenal's title challenge.
Arteta's subs help his side move a step closer to a trophy
Crystal Palace seemed poised to pull off an upset on Wednesday, taking the lead with their very first shot of the match. Jean-Philippe Mateta outmuscled Jakub Kiwior to slot home the opener.
Mikel Arteta made sweeping changes to the team that drew 0-0 with Everton at the weekend, handing Kieran Tierney his first Arsenal appearance since the 2023 Community Shield. However, the reshuffled lineup largely failed to deliver the desired impact.
Sensing the game slipping away, Arteta brought on captain Martin Ødegaard and William Saliba at half-time. Their influence was immediate. Raheem Sterling nearly equalised, striking the bar from close range after Dean Henderson parried his initial effort. Soon after, Ødegaard played an exquisite through ball to Gabriel Jesus, who controlled it beautifully before chipping over Henderson to draw Arsenal level.
Arsenal held by determined Everton
Jesus doubled his tally with a clinical finish into the bottom corner after being picked out by second-half substitute Bukayo Saka. Although the forward appeared slightly offside as he latched onto Saka’s pass, the absence of VAR until the next round meant the goal stood.
The Brazilian completed his hat-trick in style, smashing another precise pass from Ødegaard beyond Henderson to secure the victory. Palace managed a late consolation through former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, but Arsenal held on to book their place in the semi-finals.
Arsenal v Palace. Highlights here from the EFL YouTube account here- youtu.be/kDCRuWo4cw4?... More reaction here on European Super Football - eurosuperfootball.blogspot.com
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Reaction from those that watched the match
Tor from Salford watched the match as a neutral. She said: "On the strength of that, Arsenal have a great number nine. Gabriel Jesus is a class act but clearly needs a run in the team to build confidence. It was an outstanding display from Martin Odegaard but they look really flat without him."
Matthew, an Arsenal fan, told us: "If we can get a fit Jesus back, it will significantly strengthen our attack. Here’s to the semi-finals!"
Gaz, a Crystal Palace fan, added: "Our performance was disappointing after the win at Brighton. We lacked energy and gave the ball away too easily. This highlights the lack of depth in our squad. We allowed the opposition too much space and didn’t press them effectively. This felt like a missed opportunity to win a major trophy."
