Arsenal bounced back from a first Premier League defeat in seven games by beating Aston Villa on Saturday, with some Gunners fans lauding Gabriel Magalhaes for his ‘crucial’ role.
Liverpool ended the Gunners’ six-game unbeaten run on Wednesday night after a 2-0 win at the Emirates Stadium. And Mikel Arteta’s hopes of a return to winning ways took a dent before kick-off at Villa Park, with Aaron Ramsdale and Gabriel Martinelli both unavailable.
Bernd Leno returned in goal with Ramsdale missing for his first top-flight outing since last August. He had conceded nine goals over three appearances amid the north Londoners’ troubled start to the season. But Gabriel helped the German to register a first clean sheet.
Aston Villa enjoyed a number of chances to attack Arsenal on Saturday afternoon, but the Birmingham natives could not find a reply to Bukayo Saka’s effort to break the deadlock.
The England winger opened the scoring on the half-hour mark when the Villans could only half-clear Cedric Soares’ cross. Chances for Arsenal to double their lead then proved to be irregular after the break, as Aston Villa began to pepper attacks and come close to scoring.
John McGinn whistled wide of the post just before the hour, while Ollie Watkins hit the woodwork not long after. Danny Ings was the next man in a claret-and-blue shirt to come close in the final 10 minutes. But the forward could only loop a header over the crossbar.
Arsenal fans in awe of ‘so smart’ Gabriel Magalhaes after ‘very crucial’ display
Strong displays from Gabriel and centre-half partner Ben White ensured Arsenal managed to keep Aston Villa out, and help Leno to his first Premier League clean sheet since May.
Gabriel’s efforts caught the attention of some Arsenal fans reacting to the Aston Villa clash on social media, too. A few hailed the £23m former LOSC Lille enforcer for his performance in Birmingham, as the 24-year-old made his 25th outing of the top-flight campaign so far.
So, here are some of the messages Arsenal fans shared on Gabriel’s display at Aston Villa…
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