Despite leading 2-0 against Leicester City at half-time on Saturday, Arsenal had surrendered their advantage at the hands of James Justin by the 63rd minute.
Mikel Arteta watched on as the Arsenal defence conceded two relatively innocuous goals, ones not typical of their defensive record.
Arsenal fans blamed Thomas Partey for his role in both, feeling as if the number six is now becoming an issue at the Emirates Stadium.
Partey was eventually replaced by Ethan Nwaneri once the Gunners were on the comeback trail, a decision that perhaps should have been made sooner.
Theo Walcott was amazed by Nwaneri’s display, a youngster who already plays with as much authority as the senior players around him.
Gabriel Jesus’ Arsenal future could be in doubt after Leicester snub
That being said, Nwaneri entered the fold in the 85th minute, following Raheem Sterling who replaced Gabriel Martinelli 11 minutes earlier.
But as Arsenal ferociously searched for their winner, Gabriel Jesus sat watching on from the bench.
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Arsenal’s number nine wasn’t introduced by Arteta until after Leandro Trossard helped grab the winner, replacing the Belgian in the 98th minute.
A remarkable fall from grace for Jesus, a world-renowned striker who watched a 17-year-old head onto the pitch well before he was considered himself.
Perhaps Arteta plans to start Jesus and hand him the captain’s armband against Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday, but this snub will still hurt nonetheless.
It was a moment which was very illuminating in terms of where the Arsenal manager sees Jesus right now – not believing he could help inspire a late winner.
Ethan Nwaneri deserves to start against Paris Saint-Germain
Although Paris Saint-Germain make daunting opposition for Nwaneri’s first Champions League start, the youngster deserves another chance in mid-week.
Right now it would seem most advisable to drop either Partey or Trossard against the French giants, even if the Belgian was crucial to Arsenal beating Leicester.
Gabriel Martinelli was excellent for Arsenal on the left on Saturday and Arteta won’t want to disrupt his momentum, a player primed for Champions League nights.
And perhaps Nwaneri could play in Trossard’s number 10 role – Arteta himself has admitted that he’s ready.
A special night under the lights in N5 would be even more euphoric were Nwaneri’s name to be on the team sheet – the most talked about player in north London right now.
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