Move over Rice: £100k-p/w Arsenal titan was the true hero v Man Utd
Declan Rice’s last-gasp goal made him a hero but another Arsenal player stood out.
Bedlam. That was the word used by Sky Sports announcer Peter Drury to describe Declan Rice’s first and only goal for Arsenal as the Gunners defeated Manchester United.
The noise inside the Emirates was deafening, but it was probably nothing we hadn’t heard before.
Bedlam. That was the word used by Sky Sports announcer Peter Drury to describe Declan Rice’s first and only goal for Arsenal as the Gunners defeated Manchester United.
The noise inside the Emirates was deafening, but it was probably nothing we hadn’t heard before.
For a brief period, it appeared that they had also lost the game. Mikel Arteta’s team required Alejandro Garnacho’s 88th-minute strike, which was ultimately disallowed for offside.
They were ahead within minutes, and moments later, Gabriel Jesus shut down Diego Dalot on the counter attack before sliding the ball home to complete a spectacular 3-1 triumph in injury time.
Rice and Jesus were the heroes, but another man, the returning Gabriel Magalhaes, deserves equal credit.
How did Gabriel play against Manchester United?
Last season, the Brazilian was undoubtedly one of the club’s greatest players, forming a bond with William Saliba that meant Arteta had one of the strongest centre-half partnerships in the Premier League.
This phrase, on the other hand, has a different meaning. Until Sunday, the former Lille player had not appeared in the first few weeks of the season. Instead, a patchwork defense was selected, with Ben White shifted inside and Thomas Partey playing right back.
Partey, on the other hand, missed the game against United due to injury, allowing Arteta to revert to his tried and true four-man defense. Gabriel was the main beneficiary, and he did so in grand style.
Arsenal did concede through Marcus Rashford’s first-half goal, but the £100,000-per-week defender was not to blame. In reality, he didn’t come to life until the second 45 minutes.
Up top, Anthony Martial provided little, and it wasn’t until debutant Rasmus Hojlund entered the game that Gabriel came alive.
He relished the physical confrontation with United’s new signing, and dismissed him with ease late in the game when the young attacker attempted to reach the penalty area. Hojlund attempted to drag the ball inside but was severely outmuscled.
Gabriel had 73 touches during the game and won six of his eight physical duels, putting in a full performance, although his best moment was saved for the offside goal.
It was a “outrageous” stroke of football IQ, as writer Connor Humm described it, when the Brazil international stepped forward at the precise moment to play Garnacho offside. It may have been lucky or reckless, but it looked fantastic in either case.
The 25-year-old has been known to play on the edge and with risk, but today it more than paid off in a moment that helped turn the game around for Arsenal.
It was a shock that he didn’t start until this weekend but on the evidence provided, he should be a shoo-in alongside Saliba again for the foreseeable future.
