Arsenal defeated Everton 2-0 on Sunday, but what did Gunners fans think of Gabriel Paulista’s contribution?
Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista got his first Premier League start this weekend and he did not disappoint.
The January signing from Villarreal took some time to play his way into the game but once he had he looked solid alongside Laurent Koscielny, to such an extent that questions must now be asked regarding just how many more games Per Mertesacker will start this season.
Gabriel played 50 matches for the La Liga club but the English top flight is a very different prospect and it was always going to be interesting to see how quickly he settled.
Against a combative Everton side he looked very good, as his passing accuracy of 87 per cent and his impressive defensive contributions testified.
| Passing Accuracy | Tackles Won | Duels Won | Aerials Won | Interception Won | Effective Clearances | Effective Headed Clearances | Mins Played | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gabriel Paulista | 87% | 1 | 4 | 2 | 6 | 10 | 5 | 90 |
Gabriel only won one tackle but he was successful with four ground duels and two aerial battles. He also won six interceptions and made a very impressive 15 effective clearances (10 with his feet and five with his head).
Arsenal’s need for another quality centre-back was laid bare earlier in the campaign, when injuries and suspensions decimated their back-line, but it seems that in Gabriel they have a very effective option.
After the match, we took to Twitter to see what Arsenal fans thought of Gabriel’s performance and you can read a selection of what we found below:
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