Arsenal suffered a blow in the title race after losing 2-1 to Manchester City at the Etihad.
The game between Mikel Arteta and Pep Guardiola’s side was seen by many as a potential title decider, and it lived up to expectations in terms of drama. However, from an Arsenal perspective, there were several disappointing performances.
Eberechi Eze will take a lot of the blame for the opening goal after shying away from a challenge that allowed Rayan Cherki to break through.
However, Gabriel Magalhaes had a much worse game – quite possibly his worst of the season.
Who was the most disappointing performer for Arsenal vs Man City
Gabriel Magalhaes had his worst game of the season for Arsenal
Gabriel has been one of Arsenal’s most consistent and reliable players all season.
The Gunners needed him to be at his best in the most important game of the campaign, but he struggled badly on more than one occasion.
For City’s opening goal, Gabriel had a chance to recover the situation after Eze’s mistake. Cherki still had work to do, but the Brazilian failed to step in and stop him.
The Arsenal number six was then involved again in the most decisive moment of the game.
Gabriel was marking Erling Haaland and should’ve stopped him from shooting. Instead, he got his positioning all wrong and allowed the striker to score what proved to be the winner.
There was also an incident where Gabriel was fortunate to stay on the pitch after going head-to-head with Haaland during an altercation. Many feel he should’ve seen a red card.
Overall, it was a performance full of uncharacteristic errors and poor decisions, which is not something you expect from a player of Gabriel’s quality.
The defender has been outstanding for most of the campaign, but this was easily his worst display of the season.
READ MORE: Arsenal player ratings vs Man City, Declan Rice struggles but Gabriel Magalhaes was even worse
Simple question: How do Arsenal win the Premier League title from here?
Arsenal still have the Premier League title in their own hands
Many saw the game at the Etihad Stadium as the Premier League decider, but that is actually not the case.
If Arsenal win all of their remaining games, Manchester City can only match their points total. That means the Gunners still control their own destiny.
In that scenario, the title would come down to goal difference, which, as things stand, Arsenal are ahead by one in that department.
City do have a game in hand, which could change that equation, but nothing is decided yet, and there is still plenty to play for.
For the Arsenal players, the focus now has to be on winning their final five games convincingly. If they do that, they will give themselves the best possible chance of lifting the title.
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