This had all the makings of an afternoon of frustration for Arsenal and a throwback to the days of Arsene Wenger.
They dominated Brighton during the first half here at Emirates Stadium, so much so the visitors did not have a single shot on goal.
But Arsenal had nothing to show for it and you could sense where the narrative was going, with the January transfer window opening in just two weeks.
There have long been calls for Mikel Arteta to sign another striker to make Arsenal more ruthless in attack and this first-half display did little to silence that argument.
The frustration was building after the break and felt close to boiling over when Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard tried to walk the ball into the net.
From the resulting corner, though, any anger at the Emirates swiftly evaporated and fittingly it was thanks to Gabriel Jesus.
The Brazilian has constantly had to fight off criticism that he does not score enough goals and that will only ramp up as January approaches.
So this was a timely moment for the Brazilian to break the deadlock and remind people why he is so bullish about being Arsenal’s No9.
Jesus struck eight minutes into the second half, heading home at the back-post from a corner after Brighton defender Jan Paul van Hecke had accidentally flicked it on.
In truth, it was a very ‘un-Jesus’ goal to score, a real poacher’s finish, and something he does not do enough.
This performance had plenty of Jesus’ other hallmarks, though, as he linked the attack well and brought others into play.
That side of the striker’s game has never been in doubt, but if he can add goals to his game then it will take him and Arsenal to another level.
Arteta believes Jesus has the ability to be a 20-goal-a-season striker and the Spaniard has rarely been proved wrong in his briefing coaching career.
He certainly seems to have been right in his prediction about Kai Havertz, who is beginning to flourish at Arsenal after his £65million move from Chelsea this summer.
The German struck here late on to make it four goals in seven games and his finish was one of real composure.
Played in by Eddie Nketiah, the midfielder calmly slotted it past the onrushing Bart Verbruggen and any lingering nerves among the Arsenal fans vanished.
