When he was injured, Arsenal kept winning but the Brazil striker is fit again and has rejoined the team seamlesslyWrapped up in his warm-down jacket, Gabriel Jesus takes to the field. It’s been more than half an hour since he was substituted, but everyone still wants a piece of him. Opponents want to shake his hand. Fans want to sing his name. Club staff want to make eye contact and slap him on the back. As he takes his lap of honour, a lone camera operator follows him around the entire pitch, training his lens on that soft, twinkling face, a face that for some reason always looks as though it’s on the verge of bursting into tears.And for some...
Already adored by the fans, the Brazilian’s leadership, knowhow and star quality has inspired Mikel Arteta’s relentless teamAccording to the song that echoed from Craven Cottage’s away end, to the tune of Do Wah Diddy Diddy, Gabriel Jesus is a dab hand at turning water into wine. Arsenal have savoured the aftertaste during his three months out injured, his absence barely felt by a side whose supreme energy levels have not let up, but it still felt a significant moment when he jogged on for the latter stages of this Thameside cruise.Mikel Arteta’s players had swamped a poor Fulham and quickly ensured the outcome was beyond doubt, and here came a new flex in a symbolic return for the player...
Arsenal overcame a significant hurdle in their title quest, in large part thanks to the England winger’s excellent first goalAs Bukayo Saka sheep-crooked the ball away from Vitalii Mykolenko with his left foot, then pushed it on with his right, finding a clear, crisp square of green inside the Everton penalty area, Jordan Pickford crouched low in front of him, hands funnelled between his knees, sensing the danger close to the ground, the obvious target by his feet.Saka took one quick step and changed the subject, going high instead, pinging the ball with a thrillingly pure contact towards the smallest available space, near post, top corner, and bullseye-ing the square of netting beyond Pickford’s belatedly raised left hand. Continue reading...
Graham Potter pressure intensifies, Newcastle’s goalkeeping nightmare and civil war at LeedsStamford Bridge was not a happy place after Chelsea’s insipid defeat to Southampton. There was no holding back. Loud boos greeted the final whistle and the mood near the dugout was ugly. A fair few fans were bellowing abuse at Graham Potter and the worry for Chelsea’s head coach, who has been in the job only since September, will be that he has already lost the crowd. Chelsea supporters loved Thomas Tuchel and many do not see Potter as an upgrade on the German. There is talk of giving the Brighton manager time to build but he is not doing a good job of winning over the sceptics. Chelsea...
New manager’s sheer energy galvanises team with echoes of club’s history evident during momentous victory over ArsenalThere is a lot wrong at Everton. Vast sums have been spent very badly and again the board stayed away for its own safety, but just because there are a lot of things to put right it does not mean that you shouldn’t correct the things you can. And just because clubs are often unduly impatient with managers it doesn’t mean that a change isn’t sometimes necessary. Sean Dyche’s first game in charge after replacing Frank Lampard brought Everton’s best performance and best result of the season.It says much about how well Everton played that Arsenal seemed so flat. It’s the performance as much...