Mikel Arteta has identified the return of Gabriel Jesus as a major boost to Arsenal’s title challenge.
The Gunners beat Fulham away at Craven Cottage on Sunday to reclaim their five-point lead over Manchester City in the league table.
Brazil duo of Gabriel Magalhaes, Gabriel Martinelli and Martin Odegaard were the scorers, while former Brighton star, Leandro Trossard provided a hat-trick of assists.
Leading 3-0 with 15 minutes to normal time, Mikel Arteta subbed on Gabriel Jesus for his first appearance for the Gunners in around four months.
The Brazil international has been injured and on the sideline since after the World Cup in December 2022.
And Arteta was thrilled to see him back and looking sharp.
Speaking about the Brazilian’s return, the Spaniard told reporters, “Big boost. First step today, and we didn’t know if it was the right game for him today. A few days ago he said to me, ‘I’m still missing something’.
“Yesterday, I looked him in his eyes and he said, ‘I’m ready’. So I said, ‘Okay’. So then we had the opportunity to throw him in, which is the first step to giving him that boost.”