Paul Merson compared ‘proper player’ Gabriel Jesus to a peak Roberto Firmino after Arsenal restored their eight-point lead at the top of the Premier League with a 4-1 victory over Leeds United.
Jesus scored twice to help the Gunners thump relegation-battlers Leeds on Saturday and respond to title rivals Manchester City’s 4-1 win over Liverpool earlier in the day.
Jesus’ first-half penalty was his first Arsenal goal since October and the Brazilian – who suffered a serious knee injury during the Qatar World Cup – scored a second after half-time.
Ben White and Granit Xhaka were also on the scoresheet at the Emirates Stadium, while Rasmus Kristensen scored a consolation goal for Leeds.
Merson singled out Jesus for praise after the win in north London and compared the Gunners ace to Liverpool striker Firmino ‘at his pomp’.
While Firmino’s influence at Anfield is on the decline – as shown by his decision to leave at the end of the season – the 31-year-old has been a key player for Liverpool, scoring more than 100 goals for the Reds and winning the Premier League, Champions League, FA Cup and League Cup under Jurgen Klopp.
‘I thought he was outstanding,’ Merson said of Jesus on Sky Sports. ‘He just brings something different to the team.
‘He comes off players, he knits it all together, he reminds me a bit of Roberto Firmino at Liverpool when he was at his pomp, playing with Mane and Salah.
‘Jesus is a bit like that for Arsenal. He knits it all together, he comes short, he can go long. He’s just a proper, proper footballer.’
Gunners boss Mikel Arteta was delighted by his team’s performance against Leeds after a ‘concerning’ build-up to the game.
‘We had a few things going on with some individuals,’ he said. ‘It has been a concerning few days because we could not decide until this morning if some players would be available and the line-up.
‘After an international break you do not know if they are in the frame of mind to come back and do the things necessary to win this league. I am really happy with the performance.
‘They made it tricky for us. We lost the ball in bad areas to a team that put four really fast players than run in transitions. After, we took control of the game and we’re really good in the boxes today.
‘I am so happy for Gabby [Jesus] after all the work from him and the staff throughout the last five months. Today, he got rewarded for that.’
On the threat of Manchester City after Pep Guardiola’s side thumped Liverpool earlier in the day, Arteta added: ‘We were aware of the result as it is a huge game and we wanted to watch parts of it.
‘But when we got here it was just to focus on us and what we can do as a team. They are used to it. We can only control what we can do.’
MORE : Gabriel Jesus reveals why he was ‘disappointed’ after Arsenal beat Leeds
MORE : Why Bukayo Saka started Arsenal vs Leeds United on the substitutes’ bench
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