Gabriel Jesus put his recent goalscoring woes aside as his second-half hat-trick inspired Arsenal to come from behind to beat Crystal Palace 3-2 and reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
The Brazilian striker came into the game with one goal in his 33 Arsenal games in all competitions so far, but his hat-trick saved Mikel Arteta’s side from falling behind to a fourth-minute strike from Jean-Philippe Mateta.
It was a poor goal for the Gunners, especially Jakub Kiwior, who was too easily overpowered by the Palace striker after Dean Henderson’s route-one punt, forcing the Frenchman to get past David Raya.
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Jean-Philippe Mateta makes the most of a long ball over the Arsenal defense and overwhelms Jakub Kiwior to give Crystal Palace an early lead
It was another evening where Arsenal’s attacking quality, particularly their depth, was questioned. Their best chances of the first half came from set pieces as Jefferson Lerma cleared Leandro Trossard’s corner off the line before Henderson parried Raheem Sterling’s free-kick from the top corner.
Arteta brought on captain Martin Odegaard at half-time, which resolved these issues. Sterling should have given the Gunners the lead when he was found by a good cross from Kieran Tierney, starting for Arsenal for the first time in 548 days, but he shot straight at Henderson and then hit the crossbar on the rebound.
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Raheem Sterling had a moment to forget after a great save from Dean Henderson parried his first shot and the woodwork denied his second
But Jesus finally broke Palace’s resistance eight minutes after the break when the influential Odegaard found the striker in the box and it was Marc Guehi’s turn. His clever chip against Henderson was even better.
Jesus thought he had a second left when he turned well again in the penalty area – but Henderson directed his shot into the side netting.
Arsenal brought Bukayo Saka into the game for further momentum as, like Odegaard before him, he set up Jesus from the bench.
The England winger played the Brazilian into the box and it was another quick turn from the striker before he shot it into the far corner – although there was a suggestion the striker was narrowly offside as there was no VAR in play. “It was offside,” said Palace boss Oliver Glasner at the end.
Gabriel Jesus had his second goal ruled offside – without VAR until the Carabao Cup semi-finals
Eight minutes later, Jesus scored his third hat-trick when he broke away from North London with a free shot – and found the far corner again to secure the match point – his first hat-trick since April 2022, when he played for Manchester City.
Arsenal thought they were home and dry until Eddie Nketiah – released by the Gunners in the summer – ensured a nervy finish with a superb header. But the Gunners managed to reach the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup for the second time in three seasons.
WATCH: Jesus’ hat-trick in full
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Gabriel Jesus scored a clean hat-trick for Arsenal in their Carabao Cup quarter-final win over Crystal Palace
Arteta: Now we can rely on Jesus
Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta:
“I’m so happy for him (Jesus). It’s been a long time without goals for him and today, with three goals, the three types of goals he scored – and the many actions he was involved in – he looked very sharp.
“I think it’s a great thing for him and the team that we can rely on a player of this quality. The same goes for Kieran (Tierney) and other players who haven’t started many games and had the chance today.” .
“He has a quality, a way of creating and innovating situations that is unique. That’s why Gabi is a great asset for us at this level.”
“Now it’s about consistency. This is a moment that brings so much confidence, not just for him but for the team, that we can count on him to change games.”
“Now we have to take advantage of the situation and give him more games and chances. We have to give him more chances because when a player is in that moment, it’s important to continue that.”
Analysis: Does this mean Arsenal don’t need a new striker?
Sky Sports’ Sam Blitz at Emirates Stadium:
Having your No.9 emerge with a hat-trick in time for Christmas is the perfect antidote if your attack is in question.
Arsenal’s recent laxity in open play and their reliance on set pieces sparked the now annual debate over whether a new striker is needed in January. So what if Jesus is looking in the right direction for at least one half of football?
Arsenal and Jesus proved in the second half that they are not about the striker. Many claimed the Gunners needed a striker last January and ended up scoring 91 Premier League goals – the most in their history in the competition.
What Arsenal have proven – what needs to be addressed – is their dependence on Saka and Odegaard. It’s more of a creativity problem than a striker problem.
Arteta’s side looked unlikely to score until these two came on in separate substitutions and provided incisive assists to Jesus just minutes after arriving on the pitch.
Whether it’s improving the left winger position or getting better understudies for Saka and Odegaard – Trossard and Sterling failed to impress but Ethan Nwaneri looked promising – that’s where Arsenal’s focus needs to be if they want to make a move in January.
Glasner: We were too cautious – Arsenal deserved it
Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner:
“It was a perfect start, but in the first half we played with too much respect, far too careful to find the right moment.”
“We lost the ball too easily when we had the ball, we didn’t support each other as much as we needed to with their pressing.”
“We need a performance at the top level, then it is possible to win here. It wasn’t a top performance. Then you lose here.”
“The positive thing is that we scored two goals, it’s not easy to score here. That’s why it’s frustrating because then it would have to be a penalty shootout. It’s a deserved win for Arsenal.”
“But we gave them too many chances to score in the second half. There were two or three great balls. Every situation was pretty similar, the way they found the goals and we made too many mistakes. There wasn’t enough pressure – it was too cautious.”
