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Gabriel Jesus's five best goals for Manchester City

sportsmole.co.uk, 28 June 2022, 10:58
Gabriel Jesus's five-and-a-half year stint at Manchester City will soon come to an end, as the 25-year-old closes in on a £45m transfer to Arsenal.

The former Palmeiras starlet has already been pictured alongside technical director Edu as he prepares for his Gunners medical, and he is poised to sign a five-year deal to reunite with Pep Guardiola's former lieutenant Mikel Arteta.

Jesus leaves the Etihad having collected no fewer than 11 pieces of silverware - including four Premier League titles - and he found the back of the net 95 times in 236 appearances for the perennial top-flight winners.

There may have been early optimism of Jesus replicating the sensational success of Sergio Aguero at the Etihad, and while it has not panned out that way, the Brazil international has come up with some memorable contributions regardless.

Jesus was typically on hand to finish a sweeping Man City move with a simple tap-in during his earliest days in England, but the striker also demonstrated a penchant for powerful headers and well-worked finishes.

With that in mind, Sports Mole picks out Jesus's five best goals for the Premier League champions as he says his final goodbyes.

5. BURNLEY - DECEMBER 2019

Man City were seemingly set for a joyless Christmas in December 2019, as Liverpool opened up a double-figure lead at the top of the rankings and Guardiola's side won just one of their last five games ahead of a trip to Turf Moor.

However, Jesus settled any early nerves that the reigning champions may have had against Burnley, as the Brazilian picked the ball up from David Silva on the left-hand side and charged towards goal.

Phil Bardsley may have been in his way, but Jesus opened up his body and delightfully curled a strike beyond the reach of Nick Pope - no mean feat indeed - into the far corner of the net in the 24th minute.

Jesus would add an equally impressive second on the volley to complement strikes from Rodri and Riyad Mahrez in a 4-1 win for the champions, and the South American's brace would see him become the third highest-scoring Brazilian in Premier League history. Now, only Roberto Firmino sits above him.

4. BOURNEMOUTH - JULY 2020

Jesus will soon be attempting to protect Aaron Ramsdale's goal rather than slotting one past the England international, who was the victim of a clinical strike from the Brazilian in July 2020.

Matching David Silva's early free kick for goal of the day was a seemingly fruitless task, but Jesus did his best when he received the ball from the Spanish playmaker in the 39th minute.

A sea of Cherries shirts surrounded Jesus inside the penalty area, but the Brazilian would proceed to nutmeg Jack Stacey, skip past Steve Cook and fire home into the bottom corner of the net.

Guardiola's side were already confirmed to be settling for second by this point, but their 2-1 win on the day all but condemned Bournemouth to the drop - potentially triggering the chain reaction of events that led Ramsdale to arrive at Arsenal last summer.

3. CHELSEA - SEPTEMBER 2021

Jesus certainly would not have expected the ball to come to him in the manner that it did at Stamford Bridge in the 2021-22 season, but the striker wasted no time in converting a scuffed shot from Joao Cancelo into a pivotal goal.

Cancelo sold Timo Werner a dummy before firing his effort into the crowd of bodies in the penalty area, and it eventually found the feet of Jesus, who was under pressure from the likes of Jorginho, Andreas Christensen and Antonio Rudiger.

However, an intelligent turn from the Brazilian allowed him to open up the space for a shot, which took a fortuitous nick off Jorginho's leg before trickling into the bottom corner of the net.

The winner in West London may not go down as Jesus's most memorable strike in sky blue, but his quick reactions and nimble footwork were crucial in ending Chelsea's unbeaten start to the domestic season.

2. SHAKHTAR DONETSK - NOVEMBER 2018

When one thinks of a multiple-goal Gabriel Jesus performance, the visit of Watford to the Etihad in April typically springs to mind, but Shakhtar Donetsk felt the full force of the ex-Palmeiras starlet in the 2018-19 Champions League.

However, the travelling Ukrainian party would have felt aggrieved to see Jesus take home the match ball, with his first strike on the day coming from the penalty spot after Raheem Sterling went down having kicked the turf.

Jesus made it 4-0 with a far less controversial penalty in the latter stages of the contest, and even though Guardiola's side were cruising to a simple success, there was to be no denying the Brazilian his hat-trick.

A glut of home fans had already left before second-half injury time, but the ones that stayed were treated to an exquisite finish from Jesus, who latched on Mahrez's pass and did not even take a touch before lifting the ball over Andriy Pyatov from a good 25 yards.

The sublime chip marked Jesus's maiden hat-trick for Man City, but his three-goal haul was understandably overshadowed by the comical refereeing decision to award the game's first spot kick.

1. SOUTHAMPTON - MAY 2018

For 93 minutes at St Mary's, the centurions dream would seemingly remain just a dream. Only victory would do for the 97-point champions to break the elusive three-figure mark, and Jesus would only be given the final half an hour to add some inspiration to the forward line.

A speculative long ball forwards from master playmaker Kevin De Bruyne was taken down expertly by Jesus on the left-hand side of the pitch, but he would seemingly struggle to shake off the attentions of Mark Hughes's defenders.

However, with a stagnant Alex McCarthy stuck well off his line, the ice-cold Jesus had the simple task of side-footing the ball over the Saints shot-stopper and sparking euphoric scenes in the away end, who witnessed the history-making goal up close.

A layman to football may have believed that Jesus's goal was the one that clinched the title given the celebrations on the pitch and down on the touchline, and the Brazilian will always have his own chapter in Man City's history books after sealing the magnificent 100.

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