"He did it against Manchester United" - Thierry Henry lauds Arsenal attacker for his performance in 6-0 Lens thrashing
Arsenal legend Thierry Henry lauded Gabriel Jesus for his performance against Lens in the UEFA Champions League on Wednesday, November 29. The Gunners registered a thumping 6-0 win over the Ligue 1 side.
Jesus nodded into the six-yard box following a Takehiro Tomiyasu cross, assisting Kai Havertz to break the deadlock in the 13th minute. The Brazilian then got on the scoresheet eight minutes later. The 26-year-old faked a shot inside the box before cutting back onto his right foot and firing home into the bottom corner.
Arsenal were rampant for the rest of the first half with Bukayo Saka (23'), Gabriel Martinelli (27'), and Martin Odegaard (46') scoring one goal apiece. Jorginho netted a late penalty in the 86th minute to seal all three points.
Henry hailed Jesus after he scored his fourth Champions League goal in as many appearances. He told CBS Sports (via HITC):
“I just love this. He did it against Manchester United, I don’t know if you remember on the break. Everyone thought he was going to shoot there. Watch how he does it. Oops, chops and goes back. Gabriel Jesus is a very important player for us. Will he ever score 20-25? I hope so. But what he does in general, it’s just great for us.”
As per FotMob, Jesus was given a match rating of 8.7 - the highest on the pitch. The Brazil international scored a goal, provided one assist, created one big chance, and won 11 duels. He was also able to complete 100 percent of his four dribbles.
Arsenal are now guaranteed a spot in the Champions League Round of 16 stage. They are at the top spot of Group B with 12 points from five games, having won four and lost one.
How did Arsenal statistically fare against Lens in their UCL clash?
Arsenal were back to their best last night, defeating Lens 6-0 at the Emirates in their Champions League clash. Let's take a look at the stats to see how they fared.
Surprisingly, it was Lens who dominated possession with 53 percent of the ball. The French outfit also attempted a total of 477 passes with an accuracy of 85 percent. In contrast, the Gunners had 47 percent possession and attempted 450 passes with an accuracy of 87 percent.
However, it was Arsenal that looked more threatening up front, landing a total of 14 shots, with eight being on target. On the other hand, Lens managed just six shots in total, landing three on target.