Just seven days before Christmas, Arsenal was saved by Jesus.
Gabriel Jesus of course; The Gunners striker plundered a second-half hat-trick to earn his side a place in the Carabao Cup semi-finals after falling behind to plucky Crystal Palace.
Towards the end, Mikel Arteta called in the cavalry to ensure his team got over the line and like any good nativity scene, his wise men ensured Arsenal would put themselves within striking distance of Wembley on a heartbreaking evening.
And Jesus, as he should be at this time of year, was the center of attention on a night full of twists and turns as the forward put a miserable season behind him and emerged as Arsenal’s hero.
But this was far from vintage Arsenal. But they got the job done; in cup matches that’s all that really matters.
The first half was one to quickly forget for the home team, especially for defender Jakub Kiwior.
Gabriel Jesus scored a hat-trick as Arsenal beat Crystal Palace 3-2 on Wednesday evening
Jesus had not scored at the Emirates in 2024 until his remarkable run of goals in 27 minutes
Jean Philippe-Mateta gave Palace the lead after four minutes when he took advantage of a defensive error
The mistake made in the third minute was inexplicable: the Gunners defender made an embarrassing mockery of his attempt to avoid Dean Henderson’s long cross, allowing Jean-Philippe Mateta to tighten David Raya before getting past the Spaniard . .
The natives were furious with their Polish central defender. You’d imagine Arteta’s mood couldn’t have been much brighter.
Leandro Trossard saw an inswinging corner cleared off the line by Jefferson Lerma before firing over the bar following weak play from Tyrick Mitchell as Arsenal tried to muster a response.
But in reality they did very little magic. And without the efforts of Bukayo Saka and Declan Rice from wide set plays, Arsenal’s renowned prowess in dead ball situations was a lot less impressive.
The fact that Dean Henderson’s first save of the night was a reaction to Raheem Sterling’s curling free-kick was an example of Arsenal’s lack of fluency.
Lots of crosses, little else. Even the deliveries in the box were meat and drink for Palace’s back three, Nathaniel Chalobah, Maxence Lacroix and Marc Guehi.
The sight of Saka, William Saliba and Gabriel Martinelli being sent off to warm up before the 30th minute was a clear and sharp indication of Arteta’s frustrations.
“Dear, oh dear,” shouted one Arsenal supporter with an unmistakable hint of irritation in his voice as the match approached half-time.
Jakub Kiwior failed to deal with a long ball before being beaten by the French striker
It was Mateta’s seventh goal of the season and the Emirates home fans were shocked
After the break the Gunners came firing the blocks and Gabriel Jesus equalized
Others also expressed their dissatisfaction in more industrial language.
You’d imagine there would have been some nice words in the Arsenal dressing room at half-time.
Oliver Glasner, on the other hand, would have been heartened by his team’s first 45 minutes here.
Will Hughes and Jefferson Lerma continued to hold the fort expertly in central midfield as Adam Wharton recovers from groin surgery; Mateta’s physicality, as you might expect, caused Arsenal’s defensive problems.
Arteta’s assessment of Arsenal’s first half became abundantly clear when captain Martin Odegaard and Saliba were introduced at half-time in place of Ethan Nwaneri and Thomas Partey respectively.
The changes certainly had the desired effect. Sterling missed a golden chance at the back post in the 51st minute, with only Henderson able to beat after Kieran Tierney, making his first competitive appearance for Arsenal since May 2023, put the ball on a plate for his colleague before Trossard and Mikel Merino squandered chances during the same passage of play.
Three minutes later, Arsenal leveled; Jesus finished coolly past Henderson, although he was aided by a weak Palace defense.
Where was this Arsenal in the first half? Passivity and lethargy were suddenly replaced by enthusiasm and intention.
Jesus needed this purpose. What followed was the proof of that claim.
The Brazilian’s finish was extremely deft as he scored only his second goal of the season
Jesus added two more goals with calm and collected strikes to put Arsenal through
Former Gunners star Eddie Nketiah scored a late consolation strike with an impressive header
A footballer who played a key role in Arsenal’s revival under Arteta has looked a shadow of his former self this season.
This was only his second of the campaign, his other strike of the season coming against Preston in October.
This effort indeed seemed to galvanize the Brazilian, his close-range effort brilliantly blocked by Lacroix to deny Arsenal a second.
At that point, Glasner had thrown in Eddie Nketiah, who was warmly welcomed on his first return to the Emirates in the summer, in place of Mateta in the hope of finding a second wind.
Tierney’s comeback match ended prematurely after he limped off to be replaced by Myles Lewis-Skelly, with Arteta throwing on Saka for good measure, much to the Emirates’ approval.
And inevitably, Saka played a major role in completing Arsenal’s comeback.
The England international’s wonderfully heavy pass broke Palace’s offside trap, leaving Jesus with the task of firing past Henderson for his second of the evening.
Replays showed there was a hint of offside in Jesus’ run. The goal would certainly have – at the very least – been referred to VAR in the Premier League.
But this is the Carabao Cup and there is no VAR. Not that Arteta cared. This also applied to Jesus, who completed his hat-trick with an emphatic finish from Odegaard’s pass.
Nketiah’s brilliant 85th-minute header against his former club set up an anxious ending for the home side, but Arsenal held on and came within sight of silverware.