Gabriel Magalhaes provides a new Arsenal response in response to Erling Haaland’s Man City message.
news about Arsenal as After the Manchester City stalemate, Gabriel Magalhaes collides with Erling Haaland to continue making his point.
Erling Haaland was marked out of the game by Arsenal’s defenders including Gabriel (Image: Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC via Getty Images)
Following his restriction of Erling Haaland to just 23 touches during Sunday’s 0-0 draw with Manchester City, Gabriel Magalhaes has seized another chance to establish his dominance over the striker. The Arsenal defenders, along with William Saliba, made sure that the top scorer in the Premier League had little to work with.
In a cagey ninety minutes that saw little goalmouth action but plenty of tension in a match that could have changed the title race, Haaland was just one of several frustrated City players. Despite their team controlling the ball, Phil Foden and Kevin De Bruyne were likewise unable to influence the game.
After the game, Gary Neville singled out Gabriel and Saliba for their respective roles due to the formidable dominance of the Arsenal defense. “I’ve never seen a team make it so difficult for Manchester City in the final third – there just didn’t seem to be any spaces,” Neville said following the match.
“You see De Bruyne getting his head up to get that ball into the box, there just didn’t seem to be anywhere.” “They were hurt last year without Saliba, and that has been proven today,” he continued. Saliba and Gabriel impressed me greatly today, and the two wide players and two forwards had amazing work ethics.
They truly banded together against Haaland; it was an archaic, ‘one go tight, the other drop off’ strategy. However, they were able to do so because there were numerous players nearby. The midfield was compact with the full-backs positioned narrowly and tightly, and the two forwards were tucked in when needed.
It frequently stumps me when I play against elite players, so don’t feel the need to double up out of embarrassment. It is necessary to bring someone else along, and Jesus accomplished that. [Gabriel] Today Jesus saved [Jakub] Kiwior from a great deal of trouble. With Jesus standing beside him and [Bukayo] Saka standing next to Ben White, he was having a tough game early on. They played a fantastic game.”
Another way to sum up Gabriel’s dominant performance was the post-match confrontation between the two players. After a meeting in which Haaland felt he had been forced to the ground inside the Arsenal area, Gabriel asserted himself by yelling at the rival Martin Keown-Ruud van Nistelrooy combination.
Gabriel and Haaland got into another argument after the game as both teams were attempting to determine how much of a missed opportunity or how valuable a point the game was. Though mostly in good humor, they engaged in a heated verbal sparring match and frequently exchanged frustrated hugs.
Gabriel received a brief, “good game,” from Haaland before Declan Rice and Pep Guardiola were called in to divide up the small altercation. However, the Brazilian continued to celebrate his personal victory on social media afterward, indicating that their battle was far from over.
There is still much to do! Want more! [Emoji of a bicep]” he later shared on Instagram. His combative remarks were accompanied by two pictures of him defeating Haaland—one during a ground battle, the other while diving for a header.
