Arsenal progressed through the Carabao Cup, beating Crystal Palace 3-2 at the Emirates Stadium, thanks to a hat-trick Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian’s goals turned the tide after Jean-Phillipe Mateta had given the away team the lead, ultimately sending the Gunners into the semi-finals of the competition. The former Manchester City man has been the subject of a lot of criticism lately, but Arteta is confident that his striker can build on this performance and play a vital role for the rest of the season.
“I’m so happy for him,” Arteta said in his post-match press conference. “Obviously he went through a long period without a goal and scoring three in this match was important. But I would also put the emphasis on the many actions he was involved in, because now he really seems to have the right leg. I think it’s a great thing for him, it’s also a great thing for the team to be able to count on a player of such quality, Gabby at that level is a great resource for us.”
Last night’s results
Arsenal – Crystal Palace 3-2
Mateta 4′; G. Jesus 81′, 73′, 54′; Nketiah 85′
Newcastle – Brentford 3-1
Tonali 43′, 9′, Schär 69′; Know 90’+1
Southampton – Liverpool 1-2
D. Núñez 24’, Elliott 32’; Archer 59′
Carabao Cup, the quarter finals
Wednesday 18 December
Arsenal – Crystal Palace 3-2
Newcastle – Brentford 3-1
Southampton – Liverpool 1-2
Thursday 19 December
Tottenham – Manchester United
*those who advance to the semi-finals are in bold
