Time will tell if this was a false dawn or not, but for 45 minutes on Wednesday it felt like Arsenal had got the old Gabriel Jesus back.
The Brazilian striker was electric in their 3-2 win over Crystal Palace, scoring a stunning second-half hat-trick to send Arsenal into the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup.
Jesus will surely view this as a turning point as, in the space of 27 minutes, he scored more goals than in his previous 35 games this year combined.
He had been on a miserable run of form, with a goal against Preston in the fourth round in October his only other goal since January.
“I had pressure on my shoulders to score today,” said Jesus. “I’m happy to come back to score goals, because I have the No9 [shirt] and the pressure will always be there to score goals. That’s it, that’s the challenge.”
Arteta was just as delighted as Jesus afterwards and that is no surprise. A fully fit Jesus would be a huge weapon for Arsenal in the second half of the season.
Jesus has been riddled with fitness issues ever since he injured his knee at the World Cup two years ago, but on Wednesday there were flashes of the player he was before then.
His first goal came after he cleverly curved his run and finished exquisitely when he dinking the ball over Palace goalkeeper Dean Henderson.
“The movement, the quality of his touches, the way he finished the actions, it’s a big, big thing for him and the team,” said Arteta. “It is a big message for the team that we have got Gabi back at his best.”
It feels a little early to declare that Jesus is “back”, but this is the most upbeat Arsenal and Arteta will have felt about him in a year.
Arteta’s excitement is perhaps born out of the impact Jesus could have on this team if he rekindles his best form.
Jesus scored three goals on Wednesday, but his overall game is just as important.
He floats and drifts out wide, pulling defenders with him. Normally he heads to the left and it is no coincidence that Leandro Trossard had one of his better games last night with Jesus in the side.
After he scored his first goal, which pulled Arsenal level with Palace following Jean-Philippe Mateta’s opener, Jesus almost visibly grew with the confidence returning to him.
What followed were two more great finishes and his first ever hat-trick in an Arsenal shirt.
“It’s now about consistency,” said Arteta. “Now this is a moment of spark that will bring so much confidence, not only to him, but to the team as well that we can rely on him to change games.
“Now we need to take it and give him more games and chances. We need to give him more chances because when a player is in that moment it’s important to continue that.”
Arteta is right that now is the time to strike while Jesus has his swagger back.
He will surely keep his place for Saturday, when Arsenal head to Selhurst Park to take on Crystal Palace in the Premier League.
Before Wedensday, Arteta would have been most likely planning to bring Kai Havertz back into the team. But he cannot drop Jesus now.
The onus will then be on the Brazilian to prove Wednesday was not a flash in the pan and he can contribute this season.
Arsenal’s attack has looked turgid at times, so adding some chaos to it in the form of Jesus always seemed like a possible solution.
Until Wednesday, though, Jesus had given no indication that he was the player Arsenal bought from Manchester City in 2022.
He had looked lost and devoid of confidence, however he will believe now a corner has been turned. Arsenal will hope that is the case, too.
