When Gabriel Jesus suffered a knee injury at the World Cup, it was feared Arsenal’s title challenge would go off the rails.
But the Brazilian has returned with the team in the same position as when he left. Arsenal were five points clear of Manchester City at the top when Jesus was ruled out for three months, and they restored that lead by beating Fulham 3-0 on Sunday.
Jesus looked sharp and went close to scoring when he came on for the final 13 minutes at Craven Cottage, but Mikel Arteta has warned he faces a fight to get back into the team.
Arsenal have excelled in Jesus’s absence. Initially, Eddie Nketiah stepped up with six goals in as many games. More recently, Leandro Trossard has taken centre stage and shown why the Gunners paid £26m to sign him from Brighton in January.
Since losing 3-1 against Manchester City last month, Arsenal have won five Premier League games in a row, and Trossard has started them all.
The Belgian shone on Sunday as he claimed a hat-trick of assists in the first half. There were shades of Jesus about Trossard’s performance. He interchanged regularly with Gabriel Martinelli, as the pair swapped between playing out left and through the middle.
Their interplay confused the Fulham defence and all three Arsenal goals came from the left. The second and third goals were similar, with Trossard twice beating Fulham right-back Kenny Tete and crossing for Martinelli and then Martin Odegaard to score.
Arsenal’s original forward target in January was Mykhailo Mudryk, but increasingly it looks like a blessing in disguise that Chelsea beat them to the Ukraine international.
Trossard has hit the ground running, thanks largely to the fact he has played in the Premier League for nearly four years. At 28, he brings experience to a young side.
Jesus offers that know-how, too, and he will, of course, play a key role in the title race. His sheer presence lifted the mood on Sunday, with the travelling fans cheering his every touch when he came on. Trossard’s form, however, means Arsenal do not need to rush Jesus back ahead of two big games this week.
The Gunners host Sporting Lisbon in the Europa League on Thursday, with the last-16 tie in the balance following a 2-2 draw in Portugal last week. Then, on Sunday, they face Crystal Palace. A win would take Arsenal eight points clear going into the upcoming international break, given Manchester City are in FA Cup action this weekend.
The title run-in will begin in earnest after that, when Arsenal will have just 10 games standing between them and their first title since 2004.
After looking short on options earlier this season, the battle between Jesus and Trossard underlines how Arteta now has the weapons to get Arsenal over the line. His biggest headache looks set to be deciding who to start.
“It’s a great problem to have, believe me,” said Arteta.
