Gabriel Jesus has had a tough time lately. In his first 20 matches this season, he scored only once, and he went eight matches without a goal.
But now, Jesus has found his form, scoring a hat-trick—his first for Arsenal. His individual brilliance helped Arsenal defeat Crystal Palace 3-2 last night, sending them to the semi-finals of the English League Cup (also known as the Carabao Cup).
The current champions, Liverpool, and the yet-to-be champions, Newcastle United, have also made it to the semi-finals. Liverpool triumphed 2-1 over Southampton, while Newcastle defeated Brentford 3-1. Tonight, Tottenham and Manchester United will face off in the final quarter-final, with the winner securing the last spot in the semi-finals.
Arsenal’s supporters had been upset after their 0-0 draw with struggling Everton in the Premier League, so the team’s performance was under scrutiny. However, things took a turn when Crystal Palace took the lead in the fourth minute, thanks to Jean-Philippe Mateta’s goal. Arsenal had to go into the break trailing 1-0, with boos coming from the stands.
In the second half, Jesus took charge. He scored three goals in the 54th, 73rd, and 81st minutes, leading Arsenal to a 3-1 lead. Jesus’ last hat-trick in English football was in 2022, when he scored four goals for Manchester City against Watford.
After Jesus’ hat-trick, Palace pulled one back in the 85th minute, making it 3-2, courtesy of Eddie Nketiah, who had joined Palace from Arsenal earlier this season. However, Arsenal didn’t let the London club back into the game.
After the match, Jesus said, “Sometimes I struggle with the goal drought. To get myself in a good position, I’ve been working on my finishing in training. I think this hat-trick is a reflection of hard work.”
Meanwhile, Liverpool took a 2-0 lead in the first half at Southampton, thanks to Darwin Núñez and Harvey Elliott. Southampton pulled one back in the 59th minute through Cameron Archer, but couldn’t mount a comeback. This was Liverpool’s 20th win under manager Arne Slott in 24 matches.
In another match, Newcastle’s Italian midfielder Sandro Tonali scored twice in the first half at St James’ Park. Fabian Schär added a third after the break. Brentford scored a consolation goal in injury time.
