Arsenal are through to the semi-finals of the League Cup after beating Crystal Palace 3-2. The Gunners fell behind but a second-half hat-trick from Jesus helped them turn the game around.
This was Jesus' first hat-trick since April 2022, when he was still playing for Man City.
"I'm very happy for Jesus. He went a long time without scoring and today he scored three goals. In addition to the three goals, he had a series of impressive plays.
“I think it’s great for Jesus and Arsenal that we can trust a player like him. He has special qualities, he knows how to create chances and he handles situations uniquely. Jesus has class and is a great asset for Arsenal,” said coach Arteta.
This season, Jesus has only scored 4 goals, but has not scored any in the Premier League. He has not been a regular starter under Areta. There has been much information about the Brazilian striker finding a new destination in the January 2025 transfer window. But with a hat-trick against Palace, Areta can consider Jesus' future. Arsenal still need a quality striker to share with Kai Havertz.
"Now is the time for Jesus to be consistent. The explosive moment in the last match will bring a lot of confidence not only for Jesus but for Arsenal. We can trust that he will change the game. Now we need to seize the opportunity and give him more matches and more opportunities," Arteta emphasized.
Meanwhile, Crystal Palace coach Glasner expressed regret. He said: “We played too respectfully towards the opponent, too cautiously in looking for opportunities.
When we had the ball, we lost it too easily, we didn't support each other when we had the ball in the way we needed to when under pressure from the opposition.
The positive point is that we scored two goals, it's not easy to score here. But we gave Arsenal too many chances in the second half for them to score. Arsenal created great plays and we made too many mistakes, didn't put pressure on the opponent, played cautiously."
