Arsenal went down at home to Manchester United to blow the title race back open in what compounded a poor last few weeks in the league for the Gunners.
Defeat to United means Arsenal are now winless in three Premier League games and but for Man City also slipping up in prior weeks, things could look massively different.
Mikel Arteta made some big calls for the United clash and none were as big as Gabriel Jesus coming in to replace Viktor Gyokeres.
Be honest. Did Lisandro Martinez deserve a red card for doing this to Gabriel Jesus?
Gyokeres has hit a bit of goal-scoring form recently but Jesus was preferred ahead of the Swede.
Indeed, prior to the game, Arsenal legend David Seaman tried to explain and back the decision.
But on reflection, it was actually something that cost the Gunners.
Viktor Gyokeres is the big winner after Arsenal v Manchester United
Gabriel Jesus did manage to get himself involved in one of the goals today but in the main, it was a performance that sums up a lot of his career.
Gyokeres entered the game in the 58th minute to bring his physicality to proceedings.
Indeed, that physicality was missing for Arsenal, and it was something David Seaman tried to make a point of before the game, albeit in defence of Jesus.
“I think it is good timing. Gyokeres is coming off goals he has scored, it isn’t like he is getting left out when he isn’t scoring. He’ll be able to take it easier. Jesus has looked sharp when he has come on. What you get with Gyokeres is a physical battle with the centre halves, but he hasn’t been winning a lot of those battles,” Seaman said ahead of the fixture.
“With Jesus, he will drop in a little bit and give Maguire and Martinez the problem of who goes in. I’m a big admirer of Jesus and his finishing. He has such composure and gets into vital positions. He is a top quality striker when he is in those moments.”
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Gabriel Jesus once again lets Arsenal down
For all the good Jesus has brought to Arsenal since he signed, ultimately, strikers are judged on goals and he has just never scored enough.
This season he’s managed just a single league goal but it should hardly surprise us, given he managed just three in 17 last season and four in 27 the year prior.
What was Arsenal’s biggest problem against Man United?
Right now, Jesus is under pressure to perform at the club and sadly, despite being given the nod by Mikel Arteta today, he let himself down.
The big winner, of course, is Gyokeres. In a way, this game showed what he has been bringing to the fold and Arsenal did miss his presence against the feisty pairing of Maguire and Martinez for United.
Come the summer, it wouldn’t actually be a surprise to see Jesus moved on.
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