Gabriel Jesus started his first Premier League game in nearly five months on Saturday afternoon... and proved why Arsenal have missed him dearly.
The Brazilian, who suffered a knee injury during the World Cup in Qatar, was given the nod after Bukayo Saka picked up an illness during the week. Arsenal needed Jesus to step up after losing their talisman, and he didn't disappoint a tense Emirates crowd.
Jesus won and scored a first-half penalty to give Arsenal a priceless lead against Leeds, who seemed the most likely to score up until that point. It was moment that confirmed his importance to the team and just how tough the past few months have been for him.
Leeds were the better team early on. Just four weeks after Bournemouth scored the second-fastest goal in Premier League history at the Emirates, Rasmus Kristensen broke through Arsenal's defence in the first minute and forced Aaron Ramsdale into a save.
Crysencio Summerville and Jack Harrison then produced shots on target before Jesus sparked a quiet Emirates into life. The former Manchester City player turned and twisted in the box until Luke Ayling was left with no choice but to foul the returning star.
It seemed as if Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard was going to take the penalty - holding on to the ball while the visiting players complained to the referee - but it was all a ploy. Once the situation calmed down, Odegaard passed the ball to Jesus to take.
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Jesus stepped up and calmly found the net. After celebrating accordingly, the forward sprinted towards the touchline and seemed to point at someone. It's unclear who he was communicating with at this stage, but Arsenal's medical team would be a good guess.
Physios aside, Arsenal's smart penalty trick involving Odegaard and Jesus shows how streetwise they have become under Mikel Arteta. Although Odegaard is Arsenal's skipper, Jesus is part of the leadership team and is responsible for making them more resilient.
After all, Jesus moved to the Emirates after winning four Premier League titles under Pep Guardiola at the Emirates. That experience is priceless for Arsenal, who haven't been champions of England since 2004, when Patrick Vieira and Thierry Henry ruled Highbury.
"It [losing Jesus] was a huge blow for the team first of all," admitted Arteta last month. "We knew the importance of Gabi, what he was bringing to the team and the way he transformed this period and the belief and in the end the level of performance we could reach.
"But to be fair the team took a step forward, individually players took more responsibility and they were really keen to maintain that level.
"We have done that so far, it’s really pleasing to see players are not looking for an excuse or look aside and expect someone else to do it, but they took initiative and developing those leadership qualities is really important."
