Trossard proves Gabriel Jesus right as Arsenal rout Leeds

Suraj Radia

• 1 Apr 2023 18:24 BST
• 2 min read

Arsenal fans may have been forgiven for fearing the worst when Gabriel Jesus was ruled out with a long-term injury at a crucial point in the season but the Brazilian has returned to a vastly superior team to the one he left in December.

Jesus made his first start since his lay-off and celebrated his return by netting twice in Arsenal’s 4-1 win over Leeds to send his side eight points clear at the top of the table.

Despite Jesus’ injury being deemed as the breaking point in Arsenal’s campaign, Mikel Arteta’s side have a bigger lead over Manchester City than they did prior to his absence.

The Gunners are still among the highest scorers in the league, with the likes of Martin Odegaard, Bukayo Saka and Gabriel Martinelli all carrying the goalscoring load without Jesus.

Arsenal also brought in Leandro Trossard in January, a player who was deemed as a stopgap and cheaper alternative after the club missed out on Mykhailo Mudryk, however the Belgian has grabbed seven assists in his last six Premier League games.

Jesus recently spoke about there not being one ‘main man’ in the Gunners dressing room, a far cry from the start of the season where Arsenal were relying on his goal and evidence that Arteta’s men have become the most feared team in the league.

Jesus and Trossard signify reversal in Arsenal fortunes

Jesus opened the scoring against Leeds with a penalty before Trossard assisted his second goal either side of strikes from Ben White and Granit Xhaka, highlighting Arsenal’s freescoring ability from all over the pitch.

The Gunners have three of the league’s top five assist makers and their player of the season in Saka was on the bench for the win over Leeds, missing his first Premier League start since 2021.

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This time last year Arsenal were struggling for consistency and battling to stay in the top four places but Arteta’s side have won their last seven games and only dropped points in four games since Jesus picked up his injury in the 2022 World Cup.

The addition of the likes of Jesus and Trossard combined with the improved mentality has proven the Brazilian’s words that there is no main man at the Emirates and that Arsenal are finally becoming a unit – as well as, potentially, a title winning side.