‘Unbelievable’ – Mikel Merino in love with Arsenal teammate’s landmark message after Crystal Palace win
Mikel Merino played his part as Arsenal advanced to the semi-finals of the Carabao Cup after defeating Crystal Palace on penalties.
Mikel Arteta is under pressure to win silverware this season, having only lifted the FA Cup trophy once since his arrival in 2019, and the managers around him are continuing to stack the cabinets.
Currently, Arsenal are favourites to win the Premier League, with Man City following closely behind, but multiple titles are on the line, with the Champions League and FA Cup to fight for.
The game was a rare chance for Christian Norgaard and Myles Lewis-Skelly to impress, but not only that, it saw the full return of Gabriel Jesus, who has been sidelined with injury since January.
Jesus suffered an ACL injury against Man United 11 months ago, and while he has been appearing in short cameos, Arteta finally believed he was fit enough to start against the Eagles.
Gabriel Jesus hits Arsenal landmark with emotional return
Taking to Instagram (24 December), Jesus celebrated his return to the pitch, writing: “Semi-final, here we go. First start after 11 months with a BIG injury. 100 games with this unbelievable club.
“There’s only one reason, GOD,” with Merino responding to the post with love heart emojis, while hero goalkeeper Kepa Arrizabalaga also commented a love heart, and former Gunner Nuno Tavares too.
Although the Brazilian was unable to get on the scoresheet, mostly due to a heroic performance from Walter Benitez in between the sticks, there were a lot of positives on the night.
His last goal came against Brentford on 1 January, and the 28-year-old could soon see his name back on the scoresheet, with Arteta still needing a consistent centre-forward in North London.
Jesus’ performance in numbers vs Crystal Palace
The striker managed to last 86 minutes at the Emirates, with the Gunners pegged back in the moments, but it was an enjoyable night for Jesus, who will just be relieved to remain fit.
Despite having just 31 touches, he unleashed five shots, two of which were on target, had 11 touches in the opposition box, made five recoveries, and won 100 per cent of his tackles [FotMob].
Unsurprisingly, the Brazilian was a little rusty, being unable to complete any of his attempted dribbles, missing one big chance, and winning just 29 per cent of his ground duels.
Viktor Gyokeres has failed to impress since arriving from Sporting CP, and his staying on the bench against the Eagles says far more than Arteta realises as the centre-forward’s struggles continue.
Kai Havertz also appears close to a return, adding yet more competition to the front line.