Arsenal delivered a thrilling comeback to overcome Crystal Palace 3-2 in the EFL Cup quarter-finals, powered by a sensational second-half hat-trick from Gabriel Jesus.
Mikel Arteta’s men found themselves trailing at halftime after Jean-Philippe Mateta struck early to give Palace a 1-0 lead.
The tide turned when Martin Odegaard was introduced after the break. The Norwegian playmaker made an instant impact, setting up Jesus for the equaliser.
Jesus then found the net twice more, first converting from a Bukayo Saka assist and later completing his hat-trick with a composed finish after being brilliantly released by Odegaard.
The Emirates crowd erupted as Jesus broke a 367-day goal drought on home soil.
Despite a late scare from former Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah, who headed in for Palace, the Gunners held firm to secure their place in the semi-finals.
The victory not only advances Arsenal but also serves as a confidence boost ahead of their upcoming Premier League rematch with Palace on Saturday.
Liverpool Advance with narrow win over Southampton
In a seperate match, Liverpool secured their spot in the EFL Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought 2-1 victory against a manager-less Southampton.
Darwin Nunez got Liverpool off to a strong start, netting his fourth goal of the season. Harvey Elliott then doubled their lead with his first strike of the campaign.
Caretaker coach Simon Rusk’s Southampton side managed to pull one back through a stunning effort by Cameron Archer, but Liverpool held their ground to progress to the last four.
Also, Newcastle United delivered an impressive performance, defeating Brentford 3-1 to claim their spot in the EFL Cup semi-finals.
Sandro Tonali stole the spotlight with a brace, including a sublime first-time effort from outside the box. Fabian Schar added Newcastle’s third to seal the result.
Brentford managed a late response through Yoane Wissa, but it was little more than a consolation as Newcastle marched on to the next stage.
