Gabriel Jesus leaves Alan Shearer with egg on his face before a familiar concern re-emerges
Gabriel Jesus embarrassed Alan Shearer by delivering a stellar performance that secured a victory against Sevilla, despite Shearer’s recent criticism of the Brazilian for his goal drought since moving to Arsenal from Manchester City last summer.
Jesus responded to Shearer’s comments by scoring a fantastic goal on Tuesday and providing an excellent assist for Gabriel Martinelli’s opening goal.
In the dying moments of the first half’s injury time, he skillfully controlled a high clearance and executed a deft Cruyff turn, setting up Martinelli to burst past the goalkeeper and score.
Shortly after, the striker confidently curled in a second goal for his team, securing a vital victory.
The 26-year-old’s exquisite finish clearly undermines Shearer’s apprehensions about the striker. Just last week, the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer asserted that Jesus was failing to meet the expectations set by his transfer fee.
“Without wishing to pick on him, he has consistently been underperforming his xG over the past few years,” Shearer told The Athletic, before referencing a big miss in the north London derby to explain how Jesus has failed to fire sufficiently in the final third.
Despite twice rallying from behind to earn a draw, Spurs, in the first half, were nearly put in a 2-0 deficit by Arsenal when Jesus dispossessed James Maddison, who had dropped deep to collect the ball, granting him an unobstructed shot at goal inside the penalty area.
However, Jesus opted for power and sent his attempt soaring into the crowd, a decision that would eventually prove costly for the Gunners as it prevented them from securing a victory. This prompted Shearer to voice his apprehensions about the Arsenal standout.
“[That] tells you he’s getting into good positions and isn’t finishing them. Exhibit A right here [in the 2-2 draw against Tottenham ]. Jesus does really well to anticipate the pass and nabs the ball from James Maddison’s toes,” he added.
“It leaves him in an ideal position in the middle of the goal, with space around him and the choice of aiming either side. He goes with the option of hitting his shot with the front of his foot, which is fine; it’s something I used to do a lot of the time.
“He also goes for power and there’s nothing wrong with that either because power shouldn’t take away from your accuracy. I always felt that if I picked my spot and got my shot away, then the harder I hit it, the harder it would be for the ’keeper to stop it.
“A load of my goals were struck firmly and weren’t more difficult to control. But this is another example of leaning back for a shot; Jesus’ body and technique are all wrong.”
Regrettably for Jesus, his triumph was marred as he had to exit the game prematurely due to a hamstring injury. Manager Mikel Arteta confirmed that it wasn’t a precautionary move, and the striker is now facing another stint on the sidelines.
Gabriel Jesus leaves Alan Shearer with egg on his face before a familiar concern re-emerges