Three goals, a clean sheet, and a five-point lead at the top of the Premier League table still intact. It turned out to be the perfect response from Arsenal to Manchester City's win over Crystal Palace.
But perhaps the biggest positive to come from the victory against Fulham was the return of Gabriel Jesus after three months on the sidelines as a result of undergoing knee surgery. Named amongst the substitutes at Craven Cottage, it was the first time that the Brazilian had made a matchday squad for the Gunners since before the World Cup.
Given the visitors were 3-0 up heading into the final quarter of an hour thanks to first-half goals from Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard, the stage was set for Jesus to mark his return to action and football.london kept tabs on his 13-minute cameo against the Cottagers.
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76-80
He's back! With the clock reading 76:31, Jesus replaces Leandro Trossard - who registered three assists - and is greeted by a loud roar from the travelling Arsenal supporters as he runs onto the pitch. The Brazilian gets stuck in immediately as he comes short to receive the ball from a Benjamin White throw-in and his completed pass draws a loud cheer.
As the Gunners force another throw-in situation down the right-hand side, Jesus again receives the ball and returns it to White before darting towards the box. Moments later he makes the ball stick following a long ball up the field by Gabriel Magalhaes as he shrugs off two challenges then plays another pass to the Arsenal right-back before exchanging passes with Odegaard.
In the 79th minute, Jesus showed great anticipation and determination to beat Kenny Tete to a loose ball, plays a lovely reverse pass into Reiss Nelson and continues his run into the box but unfortunately, the ball doesn't return to him and Fulham eventually clear their lines.
81-85
The moment that convinced many Arsenal supporters on social media, in particular, that Gabriel Jesus is back occurred in the 84th minute. Firstly he produced a brilliant piece of skill to release fellow substitute Fabio Vieira into space down the right hand side and continued his run.
However, when played in by the Portuguese playmaker, the Gunners' number nine saw an effort blocked by Bernd Leno. Of course, rustiness can be considered a factor for the 25-year-old not marking his return to action with a goal, but it was also a stark reminder that he has a habit of missing big chances.
86-90
With the game petering out, there wasn't a great deal of attacking intent from the visitors in the closing stages, although Jesus was lurking in the penalty box for a tap-in but Nelson couldn't pick out a pass after initial good work inside the area.
In the final minute of injury-time, Jesus attempted to lead Arsenal up the field after defending a corner but his crossfield pass that was intended for Vieira was cut out. But a few moments later he won the ball back off Harrison Reed in his own half before combining with his aforementioned teammate as the visitors saw out the game with relative ease.
Verdict: As far as returns go, this was pretty decent from Gabriel Jesus as everything he offers was on show - pressing from the front, creating chances and all his touches of the ball were at the usual high standard. Of course, a goal would have been the icing on the cake as it's a while since he scored.
In addition, whilst he combined well with Nelson down the left, there did seem to be a partnership blossoming on the opposite flank with Vieira and it could be something to keep an eye on in the coming weeks as Jesus builds up his match sharpness to help Arsenal in the run-in.
What Mikel Arteta said:
"(It's a) big boost. The first step today. We didn’t know if it was the right game today," the Arsenal manager told football.london in the post-match press conference. "He said to me a few days ago 'I’m still missing something'. Yesterday I looked in his eyes and he said 'I’m ready'. I said 'OK!' So then we had the opportunity to throw him in.
"It’s that first step to give him the big boost. He looks free, he looks ready and straight away he generated those two big chances. It’s great to have him back."
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