Agencies-Gaza post
Arsenal vs Sevilla: Jesus scores hat-trick as Saka, Nketiah round off Emirates Cup defeat
Gabriel Jesus scored his first Arsenal home game with a hat-trick as the Gunners finished pre-season with a 6-0 thrashing of Sevilla to lift the Emirates Cup.
Four quickfire goals put the Gunners in voyage management within the first 19 minutes of the game, with Bukayo Saka and Jesus holding two each.
The £45m signing had to remain until 12 minutes from time to end his hat-trick, flicking house a loose ball as Sevilla tried to support a corner. A late sixth came when Gabriel Martinelli teed up Eddie Nketiah for a tap-in following a quick counter-attack.
The consequence points to Mikel Arteta’s side having kept their 100 percent record in friendlies played in front of crowds this pre-season, ahead of their Premier League opener against Crystal Palace next week, live on Sky Sports Friday Night Football.
Arsenal produced tribute to ex-Gunners and Sevilla forward Jose Antonio Reyes – who gave away three years ago – in this final friendly and it was during their ninth-minute cheering for the Spaniard that they got the opener.
Martin Odegaard shortened in Saka to the right of the penalty spot and the England international was felled by Karim Rekik for a precise penalty. Saka transformed the spot-kick, indicating his role as Arsenal’s first-choice penalty taker after Alexandre Lacazette’s release is now cemented.
