Gabriel Jesus stole the show again against Crystal Palace as Arsenal got back on track in the Premier League with a 5-1 defeat at Selhurst Park.
After plundering a hat-trick against Palace in a 3-2 win for the Gunners in the EFL Cup on Wednesday, Jesus was back in top form on Saturday with a first-half double.
Jesus opened the scoring in the sixth minute, putting Arsenal back in front after Ismaila Sarr restored parity, before the striker's header from the post allowed Kai Havertz to make it 3-1 to the Gunners.
Arsenal had to rely on sharp goalkeeping from David Raya, who saved well from Jean-Philippe Mateta and Sarr, before Gabriel Martinelli made things even more comfortable.
Martinelli returned home on the hour from Declan Rice's shot, just after Jesus had squandered a golden chance for another hat-trick.
Rice capped an excellent cameo with a stunning goal late in the match as Arsenal finished third, three points behind leaders Liverpool, despite having played two more games than the Reds.
6 – Arsenal have scored more than five goals in six different away games in all competitions in 2024, the most ever by a top English club in a single calendar year. Merciless. pic.twitter.com/18V19N4byf
— OptaJoe (@OptaJoe) December 21, 2024
Review of the data: Jesus is at the top of the Gunners' tree
Jesus should have scored his second hat-trick in the space of two games, but in the build-up to Arsenal's fourth goal, the former Manchester City striker showed the kind of finishing that had seen him snap a 23-game goalless streak in the top flight before this encounter .
However, his shooting boots were firmly on in the opening 15 minutes, while he was unlucky enough to see the header that led to Havertz's spurring deflected off the post.
Jesus' stunning second goal came when he fired in from the edge of the penalty area after a corner. Since coach Nicolas Jover joined the club as coach in 2021, Arsenal have scored 50 Premier League goals from corners, the most of any club in the competition in modern times.
If Jesus scores, Arsenal need not fear defeat. He has now extended his league record of never losing when scoring in a Premier League match to 61 games (W56 D5).
While they were pressed hard in the opening hour, the Gunners finished as dominant and deserved victors, recording 2.9 expected goals to Palace's 1.7 in the process.
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