Gabriel Jesus marked his first taste of a North London Derby with a goal for Arsenal against Tottenham Hotspur and there was something rather familiar about his celebration.
The 25-year-old is no stranger to derbies having played in many Manchester City vs Manchester United games as well as Brazil vs Argentina on the international stage and he was excited about adding another to his list: "I've played a few derbies before and I can feel what it means to play a derby game," he said in an interview with Arsenal.com.
"Of course, I've never played here before! The north London derby will be my first and I want to win, like every game. I understand it's a derby – it's a game different from most – but at the same point, it's a game. It's a game we have to focus on and do our job. Because we are playing at home, we have to think about just doing our game. It's our home."
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Having taken the lead thanks to a wonderstrike from Thomas Partey, Arsenal were pegged back not too long after when Harry Kane scored what feels like his customary penalty in this fixture after Gabriel Magalhaes had brought down compatriot Richarlison in the area.
However, Jesus restored the lead just after half-time as he benefitted from two Hugo Lloris mistakes and a defensive mix-up to poke the ball into the back of the net from close range before Emerson Royal's red card and Granit Xhaka's strike effectively ended the game as a contest.
Sticking with the Gunners' £45m summer signing, it won't have gone unnoticed by supporters that he borrowed a leaf out of Thierry Henry's book when celebrating. It's now 20 years since the club's all-time record goalscorer scored a wonderful solo goal by running from his own half before finding the net and then sprinted all the way back to celebrate right in front of the Spurs fans.
Whilst Jesus didn't exactly run back to copy the celebration to a tee, he did recreate the iconic knee slide - with the Frenchman watching on from the stands inside the Emirates Stadium - before basking in the adulation from the Arsenal supporters as he stood with his arms out.
This celebration is becoming a recurring theme for Arsenal players. Last season, Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang wheeled away after scoring in the 3-1 win to perform it right in front of the Spurs supporters which prompted Henry to come up with an official name for it.
"It is I guess the North London Derby celebration," he said during an appearance on Sky Sports' Monday Night Football show just over 24 hours later. "Smith Rowe also did it and Saka. I guess on the day you can at your ground. If you do it away from home, it’s a bit more tricky."
So following Aubameyang, Smith Rowe and Saka, it's safe to say Jesus has continued the tradition of the "North London Derby celebration" and to do so right in front of Henry will have made his experience of this fixture even more sweeter.
To cap off a very good afternoon for the Brazilian, he managed to avoid picking up a fifth yellow card in the Premier League this season. Therefore, assuming no injury or fitness concerns are forthcoming, he will be available as the Gunners face another huge test against Liverpool next weekend.
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