Rio Ferdinand hails Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus’ work rate vs Chelsea

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Rio Ferdinand hailed Arsenal star Gabriel Jesus‘ incredible work ethic in the game against Chelsea on Sunday.

The Gunners returned to the top of the Premier League table with a fine win over their London rivals. The game only finished 1-0, but Mikel Arteta’s men were levels above Graham Potter’s side.

Ferdinand was really impressed by Jesus.

Rio Ferdinand says Gabriel Jesus was ‘covering’ Arsenal’s left-back at times vs Chelsea

Jesus’ goal drought stretched to nine games on Sunday, but even without scoring, he was one of the best players on the pitch against Chelsea.

The Brazilian worked tirelessly from start to finish. He caused the Blues all sorts of problems, and on more than one occasion, he dropped deep to help his teammates out defensively.

Ferdinand watched the game live and he was blown away. He spotted how Jesus often dropped back into a left-back position to cover for Oleksandr Zinchenko, which is something not all strikers like to do.

The Manchester United legend said in a video on his YouTube channel: “Jesus – he did everything but put the ball in the back of the net.

“I just feel he needs to tweak his performance a little bit to be a goal threat in the box. If he can do that with what he’s doing outside…

“At times, he’s covering your left-back. He’s filling in for your left-back at times, it’s crazy.”

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A striker will always be judged by the goals he scores – that’s never going to change.

However, what Jesus does on the pitch for Arsenal truly benefits everyone else in the side. His pressing, the way he helps out defensively and his incredible work rate, in general, makes him a sensational player.

Arsenal are currently on top of the Premier League table, and Jesus is one of the biggest reasons why. Even without his goals, he’s almost always one of their best players, and it’s no surprise at all that the fans absolutely adore him.

Arsenal take on Brighton in the Carabao Cup next in a game in which Jesus is expected to be rested. Eddie Nketiah will likely lead the line in that fixture, but the Brazilian could well be brought on as a substitute, and he’d love nothing more than to end his goal drought.