Arsenal are back to winning ways in the Premier League after beating Crystal Palace on week 17.
After Arsenal received criticism about their attacking frailties, the Gunners responded perfectly with a five-goal showing at Selhurst Park.
Once again, Gabriel Jesus stole the headlines, scoring a brace after netting a hat-trick against Palace in midweek.
Mikel Arteta hinted that Jesus would get more minutes and the Arsenal manager stuck to his word, letting the Brazilian off the leash on Saturday to punish the Eagles once more.
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Gary Lineker and Alan Shearer discuss Gabriel Jesus’ scoring record
By scoring against Palace, Jesus’ record of scoring and winning in the Premier League extended, as the Brazilian has yet to lose a game in which he’s scored.
It’s been a testing time for the striker, as before his five-goal week, Jesus hadn’t scored at the Emirates in over a year.
Rapidly, the forward has gone from a player low on confidence to a goal-hungry asset to Arteta, something that pundits Alan Shearer and Gary Lineker discussed.
“He’s had that massive drought, comes back and scores a hat-trick in midweek and then suddenly is scoring again,” Lineker said on The Rest Is Football podcast.
“The two goals that he did score, both sneaked in, one past the defender’s legs and one just inside the post, two weeks ago, one would’ve been blocked and the other would’ve hit the post and come out. It’s madness isn’t it, suddenly when you score a goal or two, all your bad luck goes away and things fall for you.”
Confidence is everything in football, particularly for a striker, a belief that Shearer echoed when analysing Jesus’ recent performances.
“He’s never been prolific but the belief and the feeling that he would’ve got from scoring in midweek to then getting the manager’s backing again at the weekend, that would’ve made him feel great.
“Just that feeling makes you feel confident and all of those things. It really is a stupid, crazy game at times.”
The Premier League’s record goalscorer credited Arteta for building Jesus’ confidence through his team selection, a decision that might just hand the Spaniard a significant boost.
Jesus’ confidence has restored his quality
It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to identify confidence as being the be-all and end-all of Jesus’ game.
Before the 21st of December, the forward had scored just one Premier League goal in the whole of 2024.
Between the 18th and 21st of December, the Brazilian netted five goals in all competitions, eclipsing his Premier League tally of the year in a single outing at Selhurst Park.
By showing his belief in the former Manchester City star despite his lengthy drought, Arteta handed the 27-year-old the keys to deciding his own destiny at Arsenal.
Very quickly, the striker’s outlook in north London has changed, reinforcing Shearer’s views of football being a ‘stupid, crazy game’.
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