It seems natural that Gabriel Jesus would choose this time of year to end his goal-scoring drought. A stunning hat-trick from the Brazilian striker sparked an impressive second-half comeback for Arsenal, with Jean-Philippe Mateta's goal giving Crystal Palace an early lead and sealing their place in the semi-finals.
Oliver Glasner's well-coached side looked capable of pulling off a surprise until Mikel Arteta's half-time substitution changed the tide of this tie, but it has helped the manager that they have only played in their last 34 games. Despite a scare when Eddie Nketiah, who only found the back of the net once, pulled one back in the second half, they ultimately won.
Arteta said beforehand that Arsenal could use this competition as a springboard to winning bigger trophies, but his team selection shows where his true loyalties lie. There were eight changes from Saturday's disappointing draw against Everton here, with Kieran Tierney making his first start at left-back since the Community Shield in 2023 and Raheem, on loan from Chelsea. – Sterling also made a rare appearance.
There was no such tinkering with Glasner, who appeared incredulous at the suggestion in a pregame television interview that he would not field a full squad, replacing the suspended Daniel Munoz with 18-year-old Caleb. – Entrusted Kupolha with a full debut. . Amazingly, Arsenal have only won this trophy twice in their history, and not since Steve Morrow's heroics in 1993, while Palace's recent record has been dismal. But the 6,000 supporters in the away end were clearly dreaming of Arsenal's chances of reaching the semi-finals for the first time since Arsenal. The famous victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford in 2011.
Their optimism would rise even more when Jakub Kivior badly misjudged Dean Henderson's long punt forward within the first four minutes. Mateta took advantage of a mistake to outrun the Polish defender and calmly slotted past David Raya for position. Arsenal hit back with a flurry of attacks, with Jefferson Lerma clearing his line from a corner and Leandro Trossard firing home from Sterling's cut-back.
However, despite overwhelming possession, Arsenal looked vulnerable at half-time, with Raya making a good save with his feet from Ismaila Sarr after a mistake by Jesus. Eberechi Eze also tried his luck with a quick free-kick from the halfway line, which nearly caught the Arsenal goalkeeper napping. Henderson did his best to tip over Sterling's swooping free-kick just after the half-hour mark, and the Palace defense withstood the increased pressure as Cupolha, who had been warned to bring down Trossard, settled into the role. The frustration of the home crowd increased after another corner routine was canceled just before half-time, perhaps wondering how long Arteta would continue with the second.
That question was answered after the break when William Saliba and Martin Odegaard were called up from the bench, while Cupolha was replaced by Nathaniel Clyne. Suddenly Arsenal had a different proposition, but only Sterling will know how Henderson managed to hit the wood frame after saving his first shot from Tierney's cross. However, it was Jesus who scored the equalizer. Jesus came into the match without scoring since the win over Preston in October, but calmly seized the chance with a nonchalant chip over the Palace goalkeeper after being picked out by Odegaard.
Glasner turned to Arsenal old boy Nketiah. His name was shouted by the home supporters when he was substituted for Mateta an hour earlier. Jesus appeared to be in the mood to score as he turned inside the area, but his shot went just over the post. The introduction of Bukayo Saka after Tierney finally ran out of steam showed Arsenal were serious about it.
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That fact was underlined when the England forward cut in from the right and then slipped in Jesus despite appearing to be slightly offside. VAR was not used until the semi-finals, so there was no respite for Palace as Jesus ensured the finish.
Even if Nketiah ensured a header from Klein's cross, it was up to Jesús to complete the hat-trick and seal the win with a great pass from Odegaard.
