JESUS IS THE TOP GUN!
Arsenal target stakes his claim for more game time with four-goal haul
PEP GUARDIOLA was adamant “nothing had changed” after fourgoal Gabriel Jesus
inspired this rout.
But Manchester City’s boss was wrong.
Following on from a draining week in which Champions League success was followed by FA Cup disappointment, any slip-up would have been feverishly seized upon. Beating Brighton in midweek was the perfect pick-me-up and against the hapless Hornets it was striker Jesus who delivered.
“Nothing changes,” said Guardiola. “When we won against Brighton, we were two points behind – now we’re four in front.
“Brighton was a ‘final’. We had another ‘final’ today and we won. Now we have a ‘final’ against Leeds.
“So, nothing changes. We have to win all five games to be champions.” It was a personal triumph for Jesus, linked this week with a summer move to Arsenal.
Whether that’s a timely reminder that the forward is out of contract at the end of next season remains to be seen – but he could do no wrong yesterday.
Guardiola joked: “Man of the match, was he? If there’s one person who deserves days like that, it’s him.
“I don’t think there is one person in the backroom staff won’t be happy for him. I’m the happiest man in the world. Of course, the assists from Oleks [Zinchenko] and Kevin [De Bruyne] were brilliant. But he has to be there. And he got what he deserved.”
Asked about the link with Arteta’s side, Guardiola (right) added: “What’s going to happen, nobody knows.
“What we have done this season, we have done with Gabriel. He’s one of the best.
“But every player is happy here when they play 90 minutes all the time.
“At the end of the season, maybe we won’t extend the contract, maybe he’s happy to
stay. Maybe he decides he wants more minutes. At this moment, I don’t care. I want focus. We have one month and three days or thereabouts.
“I know that every single player in that squad will do what he can to win those games before the end of the season.” The first blow was struck inside three minutes. Jesus prodded home after Joao Cancelo’s right-wing cross was missed by everyone and retrieved by Zinchenko, who centred for the Brazilian.
Twenty minutes later, De Bruyne whipped over a cross that begged to be finished. Jesus obliged. Watford then had the brass neck to score themselves. It was a good goal, too.
Hassane Kamara followed his own forward pass and eventually the ball was lifted over the top and he collected before firing across Ederson.
That merely set up the standout moment of the afternoon.
Jesus won possession in the corner and spotted
Rodri 25 yards out. The Spaniard chested down and then thumped the ball past Ben Foster. The Hornets needed just 10 seconds to concede the penalty after the restart from which Jesus collected his first Premier League match ball. When he slotted home the fifth, the scoring ended.
Hornets boss Roy Hodgson said: “If we were to have any hope of making them work harder for their victory, it was to keep a clean sheet until half-time. Obviously, that didn’t happen.
“Defeats weigh heavily, but I’m not prepared to say it’s a nailed-on relegation.”