Arsenal ran out 1-0 winners away to Leicester City on Saturday but it wasn’t all rosy for the Gunners, as Gabriel Magalhaes had to issue him team-mates a few stern words during and after the victory
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes was willing to do anything it took in order to secure three points at Leicester on Saturday – even if it meant clashing with two team-mates.
The Brazilian centre-back, 25, was rock solid as the Gunners earned a 1-0 win at the King Power Stadium thanks to compatriot and namesake Martinelli ‘s second-half strike. Gabriel helped Arsenal limit Leicester to a mere 0.2 expected goals in a dominant defensive display, but he also had to battle with his own team-mates as Mikel Arteta ‘s side held on to top spot in the Premier League.
While left-back Oleksandr Zinchenko was touchingly handed the captain’s armband by Arteta to mark the anniversary of Russia ‘s invasion of his homeland, Ukraine, Gabriel still showed great leadership. The 25-year-old, who’s enjoying his third season with the Gunners and signed a long-term contract extension in October, made sure to keep the much more experienced Jorginho in check when he made an error during Saturday’s hard-fought victory.
As the Italian midfielder, 31, attempted and failed to pass the ball back with his shoulder, Gabriel unleashed a brief tirade by yelling at him to use his chest. It was a wake-up call for Jorginho, who was playing his third successive 90 minutes after signing in January.
Gabriel wasn’t done ensuring that his team were doing everything they can to become champions when the final whistle went, though, as he was involved in a heated exchanged with centre-back partner William Saliba which turned physical. It was reported by the Athletic that as Arsenal’s players walked off the pitch after full-time, Saliba shoved Gabriel away at the end of a stern discussion.
It’s unclear what was said between the two players but manager Arteta only had praise for the duo post-match. “I think defensively we were incredible because restricting Leicester to one shot on target in the whole game at home is a difficult thing to do,” the Gunners boss beamed after his side’s second away win on the bounce. “The players did really well.”
Arteta added on their impressive away form: “It’s really important obviously, it creates more belief, more belief in the players, more belief around our club, and externally, I had full faith the players could do it, it was coming back to some basics and some details that can get games away from us, we made it much more than what we got.
“In the last two games, especially today, we’ve done those things much better. Set plays, sloppy goals, and individual errors, it’s part of football sometimes you are going to concede in games but the fact we are not conceding and giving chances away is really important if you want to be constantly winning matches.”
