Arsenal 3-2 Crystal Palace: Jesus' hat trick sends Gunners into semifinals
Arsenal fell behind early, but Gabriel Jesus willed them to victory over Crystal Palace with a second-half hat trick in the quarterfinals of the League Cup on Wednesday.
Jean-Philippe Mateta was simply too much for the Arsenal backline to handle in the 4th minute, as he staked the Eagles to a lead that would last until the 54th minute when Jesus dinked the ball over Dean Henderson to give the Gunners a deserved equalizer. The floodgates didn't open immediately, but it was mostly one-way traffic until Jesus made it 2-1 and 3-1 in the 73rd and 81st. Eddie Nketiah scored against his boyhood club to make it 3-2 with five minutes of regular time left to play, but neither side had another shot after that.
Arsenal will play one of Newcastle, Southampton/Liverpool and Tottenham/Manchester United in the semifinals in early February (first leg) and early March (second leg) before the final at Wembley Stadium on March 16. The semifinal draw will take place on Thursday following the conclusion of Tottenham vs Man United.
Player ratings - Arsenal vs Crystal Palace
Arsenal vs Crystal Palace player ratings
What’s next?
A rematch. Crystal Palace vs Arsenal — Saturday (12:30 pm ET)
Goalscorers: Jean-Philippe Mateta (4'), Gabriel Jesus (54', 73', 81'), Eddie Nketiah (85')
