Gabriel Jesus accused of making one Arsenal star ‘furious’ in Shakhtar Donetsk clash

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Arsenal returned to action at the Emirates in the Champions League, hosting Shakhtar Donetsk.

After getting their first win of the 2024/25 Champions League campaign, Arsenal came up against Ukrainian outfit Shakhtar Donetsk on match day three.

The Gunners overcame Paris Saint-Germain in their last European duel, beating Luis Enrique’s side 2-0 in North London.

A different challenge awaited Mikel Arteta’s side on Tuesday night, with a spirited Shakhtar side visiting the Emirates for the first time in 14 years.

• READ MORE: Arsenal vs Shakhtar Donetsk: How to watch, free livestream, injury news and Champions League update

What Gabriel Jesus did in the first half vs Shakhtar Donetsk

After the disappointment that came from Arsenal’s first defeat of the season, it was integral that Arteta’s squad bounced back convincingly.

Last time out, the Gunners lost to Bournemouth at the Vitality, which could have played some part in the manager making two changes to his starting XI to battle Shakhtar.

Raheem Sterling and Mikel Merino were omitted to make room for Gabriel Martinelli and Gabriel Jesus, adding more of an attacking spark to the front line.

While Martinelli is considered a firm starter, games such as Tuesday night’s come with great importance for Jesus, who has lost his way in the pecking order since Kai Havertz’s emergence last term.

Playing on the right side of attack in place of Bukayo Saka, Arteta added energy going forward with Jesus however, the Brazilian caused a moment of frustration early on at the Emirates.

On Amazon Prime Video’s coverage of the game, Alan Shearer pointed out something that the striker did to make Ben White ‘furious’.

“Ben White will be furious there, he ran 40-50 yards there to keep up,” Shearer said.

The Premier League icon was referring to a passage of play that saw White overlap Jesus on the right, resulting in the former Manchester City forward losing the ball before the defender won it back.

Arsenal hopeful of a strong performance from Jesus

Filling the boots of Saka is not an easy task, but when Jesus is in full flow, there’s very few players more exciting to watch in the current Arsenal side.

• READ MORE: Why Bukayo Saka’s injury could give Gabriel Jesus one more chance to save his Arsenal career

Unfortunately, such level of performance comes as a rarity nowadays, emphasising the importance of Tuesday night’s duel against Shakhtar with reference to the forward’s confidence.

Arteta isn’t particularly short of attacking talent however, with Saka absent, the manager will want to see his other forwards step up to bridge the gap between the Englishman’s brilliance and those below him in the pecking order.

White will certainly be missing his right-sided partner, with an overlapping situation being pulled off with ease when the duo threaten week upon week.