Jesus, who joined the Arsenal in a £45m deal from PL rivals Manchester City made a signal to the bench and was swiftly replaced by Eddie Nketiah
By Kehinde Okeowo
Arsenal delivered a five-star performance to defeat London rivals Chelsea 4-0 to lift the Florida Cup in a match played at Camping World Stadium in Orlando, Florida.
Goals from Gabriel Jesus, Martin Ødegaard, Bukayo Saka and Sambi Lokonga in the 15th, 36th, 66th and 92nd minutes ensured the Gunners comprehensively beat their fellow Premier League (PL) club.
The only sour point of the game for Arsenal, however, was the withdrawal of Gabriel Jesus just before the hour mark.
The Brazilian, who joined the club in a £45m deal from PL rivals Manchester City made a signal to the bench and was swiftly replaced by Eddie Nketiah.
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When quizzed after the match on the fitness of the 25-year-old at the post-match press briefing, the Gunners manager revealed it was a precautionary move.
“He got a knock on his quad in the first half and he wasn’t feeling very comfortable. We decided not to take any risks today.” Arteta said.
The Gunner’s gaffer who said he replaced the Brazilian because he didn’t want to take any risks had earlier praised Gabriel Jesus when he put pen to paper, describing him as a desired signing.
He said, “The club has done a tremendous job to recruit a player of this stature. I know Gabriel personally very well, and we all know him well from his time in the Premier League and being really successful here.
“This is a position that’s been on our radar for a long time now and we have managed to get a player that we all wanted, so I’m really happy.”
Arsenal will be in action against Crystal Palace in less than two weeks to kick start their Premier League season and will also be in action next weekend against Sevilla in the Emirates Cup.
Losing Gabriel Jesus will be a massive setback if Arteta is not able to call upon the Brazilian who has looked sharp in all of his pre-season games.
