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The announcement of his name in Arsenal's starting line-up was met with roars around the Emirates Stadium. Once the action got under way, it only took the ball going near him for a buzz of anticipation to go crackling through the stands.
The mood was of course different by the end. Arsenal's Europa League exit, or, more specifically, the manner of it, on penalties to Sporting Lisbon after an arduous encounter in which they lost Takehiro Tomiyasu and William Saliba to injuries, was far from ideal.
But the return of Gabriel Jesus may prove pivotal in pushing them over the line in the Premier League title race. This was his first start for Arsenal since November following his return from a knee injury. His performance suggests he can hit the ground running.
The clues were there even in his brief substitute appearance in the win over Fulham four days earlier. Mikel Arteta had spoken of the Brazilian needing a "little bit more time" after his return to training but he looked like a man in a hurry at Craven Cottage.
That much was clear in the intensity of his display, pulling defenders out of position, dropping into midfield to link the play and tracking back diligently, at one point winning the ball off Fulham midfielder Harrison Reed near the Arsenal box.
At the same time, there was plenty of threat in the final third.
His cameo was only 13 minutes long but it included a cute reverse pass to put Reiss Nelson in on goal and a chance of his own, made possible by his clever flick for Fabio Vieira near the halfway line, which required a smart one-on-one save from Bernd Leno.