Arsenal qualified for the semi-finals of the English League Cup on Wednesday at the expense of Crystal Palace (3-2), overthrown by a hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus. As is often the case in this competition, Mikel Arteta had mixed the usual starters and substitutes, a rotation favorable in particular to Kieran Tierney, Raheem Sterling, Ethan Nwaneri and Jakub Kiwior.
The Polish defender weighed down Arsenal from the start by missing a header on a clearance from Dean Henderson, the Palace goalkeeper, which Jean-Philippe Mateta exploited with coolness (4th, 0-1). Sterling, on the other hand, showed off with pace and initiative. He was close to scoring on a nice direct free kick (30th) and, above all, on two successive shots, repelled by Henderson then the crossbar (51st).
But the savior of the “Gunners” was called Jesus, the “hat-trick hero” as the Emirates announcer called him. The one who had only scored once this season, equalized with a subtle dive (54th, 1-1), before showing his finishing qualities on offerings from Bukayo Saka (73rd, 2-1 ) and Martin Odegaard (81st, 3-1), both entered during the match. Eddie Nketiah, who moved from Arsenal to Palace this summer, stretched the suspense with a header (85th, 3-2).
In the other quarter-finals played this Wednesday evening, Newcastle eliminated Brentford 3-1 and Liverpool won 1-2 at Southampton. The final quarter will pit Tottenham against Manchester United on Thursday at 9 p.m.
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