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Football London
Football London
Sport
Matt Smith

Gabriel Jesus hailed as 'dream No. 9' following Arsenal's derby day triumph over Chelsea

Gabriel Jesus has been hailed as a "dream No. 9" after Arsenal returned to the top of the Premier League table with a victory against Chelsea.

Mikel Arteta's side reigned victorious in the eagerly-anticipated London Derby courtesy of a goal from a different Gabriel, this time Magalhães, as the Brazilian defender converted from close range.

The Gunners put in, yet another, impressive display at Stamford Bridge and were good value for their triumph. Jesus was heavily praised by BT Sport's trio of pundits for his part in the win.

READ MORE: Arsenal press conference LIVE: Mikel Arteta on Gabriel display, title race and Chelsea win

Former Blues midfielder Scott Parker claimed: "He’s a dream nine for me. Modern games 9s, first and foremost, you have to give us a platform to get us out of possession, that’s how we need to build our game and most coaches now see that, he’s second to none.

"How he can slow an attack down just from his angles. On the flip side, has the brilliance and the silkiness to bring other people in.

"When you sign a player, you’re ticking boxes. What league they’re coming from, what have they played in this league, is language going to be a problem? You’ve signed a player there that’s ticking all the boxes."

Having failed to score in his last five Premier League outings, slight concern had been made over the former Manchester City man's form in front of goal. However, Rio Ferdinand emphasised the value of Jesus' all-round game.

"People are going to keep talking about goals because he’s a No. 9 but he brings so much value to this team that I’d argue, no other player in this team, there would be a bigger drop off if he left this team, arguably maybe Saliba, but Jesus stands out," he said.

Arsenal stalwart Martin Keown added: "Jesus was really leading that line brilliantly. He does that both with and without the ball.

"The work rate that he has when they’re not in possession of the ball is a real example to all those young players."

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