Jesus' 'dream' brace at Inter fires Arsenal into UCL last 16

Gabriel Jesus pushed Arsenal into the last 16 of the Champions League with a double in Tuesday's 3-1 win at Inter Milan which made the Gunners mathematically sure of a top-eight finish.

Two close-range finishes in the first half gave Arsenal a deserved seventh straight win in the league phase at the San Siro and manager Mikel Arteta a selection conundrum with Manchester United visiting the Emirates Stadium on Sunday.

Jesus started in place of summer signing Viktor Gyokeres, who has struggled this season but made sure of the win with a fine shot in the 84th minute, and the former Manchester City striker offered a threat all game.

The 28-year-old had only started twice this season before Tuesday's win but appears to be back to his best after returning from a cruciate ligament tear which kept him out for nearly a year.

"It's a dream night. I always dreamed of being a footballer. I watched when I was a kid. I watched a lot of Serie A, so to be here in this stadium and score here there are tears in my eyes because I always dreamed of being here," Jesus told Amazon Prime.

"There is always a reason that things happen whether it's good things or difficult things. I learned that during my 11 months out of the field."

Arsenal is now on 21 points and was effectively in the last 16 before kickoff as 16 points was enough to be in the top eight last season.

But the 28-year-old was key to Arsenal going six points clear at the top of the classification ahead of second-placed Bayern Munich's home fixture with Union Saint-Gilloise on Wednesday night.

Inter, who leveled through a fabulous Petar Sucic strike in the 18th minute, sits ninth after losing a third straight match in Europe's elite club competition for the first time in its history.

The Serie A leader dropped out of the top eight and its maximum possible points tally of 15 — should it win at Borussia Dortmund next week — means Inter is looking at the playoffs even after winning its first four matches.

More worryingly it was another big game defeat for Cristian Chivu's team which has struggled in high-profile contests and was sloppy for both of Jesus' goals.

Arsenal looked like it would stroll to victory when Jesus poked home the Gunners' opener in the 10th minute, the Brazilian pouncing on Jurrien Timber's mishit shot to score his first Champions League goal since November 2023.

But his goal was quickly canceled out by Sucic's thumping drive as Inter abandoned its initial cautious strategy and began to cause Arsenal problems.

Sucic spurned a perfect chance to unleash another shot in the 27th minute when sent charging through by Lautaro Martinez, but he dawdled and then played a poor pass to Marcus Thuram who slashed his effort high and wide.

Inter was punished for spurning that opportunity four minutes later by Jesus, who was left completely unmarked near the goal line for one of Arsenal's special set-piece routines.

Bukayo Saka's deep, looping corner was headed back onto the crossbar by Leandro Trossard and the ball fell straight to Jesus who made no mistake.

Inter didn't roll over, with Federico Dimarco and substitute Pio Esposito both going close with angled drives, but Gyokeres struck on the break to seal the deal and allow fans to look ahead to United.

AFP