It is a testament to the exclusivity of the Selecao that Arsenal’s red-hot centre forward Gabriel Jesus has missed out on Brazil manager Tite’s latest squad. Another superb performance, in Arsenal’s 3-0 win away to Brentford, will perhaps make the coach question his exclusion. While the South American side are blessed with attacking talent in abundance, he can’t afford to overlook a man who has taken the Premier League by storm since switching from Manchester City blue to Gunners red.
There never looked any danger of a repeat of Arsenal’s league visit to the Community Stadium last season. 2-0 losers on that occasion, the Gunners dominated the ball in the early going of this match. Bryan Mbeumo’s header straight at Aaron Ramsdale was the only real threat the home side displayed in the first half.
READ MORE:
Arsenal made their early control count when William Saliba met Bukayo Saka’s corner with a looping header. The ball struck the post before David Raya’s unsuccessful attempt to keep it from crossing the line. The referee’s watch never lies, though, and the goal was given.
Granit Xhaka continued his impressive career revival when his perfectly-pitched ball over the top found Gabriel Jesus. The Brazilian striker was never going to miss given his impressive form and he nodded the inviting pass home with aplomb. Arsenal saw out the half with ease as Brentford looked far removed from their usually-dogged selves.
The current league leaders kicked off the second half in the same manner they ended the first. Just three minutes into the half, Fabio Vieira collected a Saliba pass and ended the game as a contest with a super strike from long-range. The Gunners faithful are well accustomed to singing the surname Vieira and they did so with gusto once more after this highlight-reel goal.
A rapid move from Arsenal saw Xhaka and Jesus link up again, with the forward and the midfielder sharing a one-two before Jesus forced a great near-post stop from Raya. Mikel Arteta’s side played with the sort of unbridled, relaxed joy that has been missing from their game in recent seasons. This is a team that feels like it is in the ascendancy.
Another slick Gunners move ended with Raya going full stretch to keep out Saka. Jesus fired a sighter from distance too, the sign of a player and team playing with confidence. Brentford did threaten momentarily when Mikkel Damsgaard’s clever run saw him force a point-blank save from Ramsdale. It was a warning against complacency more than anything for Arsenal.
Some history was made during added time when 15-year-old Ethan Nwaneri came on as a substitute for the Gunners. The youngster became the youngest player in Premier League history, eclipsing Harvey Elliott’s age of 16 years and 30 days on his debut for Fulham.
Nwaneri’s cameo was almost a metaphor for this Arsenal side. Arteta’s men carry all the hallmarks of a team with a bright future. Led by the talismanic Jesus, they look set to challenge at the top end of the table this season. Their Brazilian superstar striker will be a huge part of that, whether Tite sees his value or not.
*18+ | BeGambleAware | Odds Subject To Change
