It wasn’t long ago that a few chinks were starting to appear in the armour of Arsenal. The Gunners were struggling to score goals and that defeat against Manchester United felt like a turning point in their bid to win the Premier League title.
Yet, they’ve just had a tremendous week, defeating Leeds United 4-0, making it through to the Carabao Cup final and beating Sunderland 3-0.
They’ve done that all without Bukayo Saka too, the poster boy for the Mikel Arteta regime. In previous years, that would not have been possible but the Gunners’ squad depth is remarkable. It’s the best in England and perhaps even the best in Europe too.
What made their win over the Black Cats on Saturday all the most impressive is that they were held by Regis Le Bris’ men earlier in the season when they travelled to the Stadium of Light.
On this occasion, there was no scare. Arteta’s side came through the test with flying colours.
The biggest positive for Arsenal after Sunderland
It’s hard to talk about this game without mentioning the wonderful cameo of Viktor Gyokeres. The Swede has struggled for form during his debut campaign at the Emirates Stadium and his performance against Chelsea just a few days prior summed it up.
Gyokeres was isolated. He registered just ten touches and completed a solitary pass all night. He was anonymous. Yet, 2026 has been his year. He won the club’s Player of the Month award for January and deservedly so. He is truly starting to come into his own in Arsenal colours now.
No Premier League player has scored more goals (6) across all competitions than the former Sporting man this calendar year and he perhaps saved his finest performance to date for Sunderland at home on Saturday.
The summer arrival didn’t start the game but entered the fray on the hour mark and immediately set about his work. He held the ball valuably and crucially, took his two chances to score.
He’s been a bit haphazard in front of goal at times this term but his confidence is high and he looks as ruthless as he has ever been in the red and white of Arsenal.
For both goals, he was in the right place at the right time, latching onto Kai Havertz’s pass before slipping but still finding enough shot power to beat Robin Roefs. His second was more straightforward, bursting forward alongside Gabriel Martinelli on the counterattack before firing home from close range.
Alongside the aforementioned Havertz, he would appear to have struck up a fabulous partnership. That, however, is certainly bad news for Gabriel Jesus.
What Gyokeres’ form means for Jesus at Arsenal
Competition for places in this Arsenal team has never been greater and perhaps the fiercest battle is emerging at the top end of the pitch.
It makes a change for the Gunners to have so many options in that third of the field, considering they were having to rely on Mikel Merino for the second half of last season.
Now, they have Gyokeres, Jesus and Havertz all vying for a place in the team but it’s Jesus who’s arguably coming out of worse.
In all fairness, Jesus has not been terrible since returning from injury. When he plays, he appears to be far more involved in proceedings than Gyokeres. For context, the Brazilian is taking 48.7 touches per 90 minutes in the league this term. His colleague in attack is registering just 24.1.
The former Manchester City man even scored twice inside the San Siro. Yet, over the last few weeks, Gyokeres and Havertz have staked their claims and look like the best options.
Since Jesus netted against Inter, Gyokeres has now scored four times. Havertz has also bagged twice. It’s not that Jesus has been bad as such but those ahead of him are simply playing better at this moment in time.
That said, alarm bells should be ringing after his inability to impact the play against Sunderland. He was caught offside on three occasions, denting the progress of Arsenal’s attack, while he only managed one shot which produced an xG of just 0.01. He also only managed to complete six passes.
Gabriel Jesus vs Sunderland
Minutes played
60
Touches
17
Touches in opposition box
2
Accurate passes
6/9 (67%)
Chances created
0
Shots
1
Expected goals (xG)
0.01
Ground duels won
0/1
Aerial duels won
0/2
In all honesty, it was a really ineffective display from the Brazilian and judging by the form of his teammates, it really would be something of a surprise now if he were selected ahead of them for the remainder of the campaign.
Yes, there are plenty of games to come, but Havertz’s all-round play as a centre-forward has been exceptional for a while now. Gyokeres, too, is improving all the time and if he continues this ruthless streak in front of goal, he will be undroppable as Arsenal chase down major honours.
If he’s not leading the line then it simply has to be Havertz. While he had limited time to make an impact against Chelsea in the cup last midweek, it was a devastating impact.
In his prime, Ray Parlour once remarked that Jesus plays in a similar way to a club legend. He “drifts out to the left quite often, a little like Henry used to,” Parlour stated back in 2022.
However, he’s a long way from replicating those sorts of performances anymore. There might be a bit of Henry in the way he can dance around defenders but it would be surprising if he has a long-term future in north London. For one of the best-paid players in the Premier League, he is surely an easy sell once the summer rolls around.
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