Gary Lineker was full of praise for one Arsenal star after the Gunners’ dramatic 2-2 draw against Manchester City.
Once again, Arsenal showed the Premier League that they are a force to be reckoned with as Manchester City struggled to break down Mikel Arteta’s 10 men.
The Gunners were moments away from securing their first win at the Etihad since 2015, all for their hard work to amount to a draw thanks to John Stones’ late equaliser.
It was a tough result for Arteta’s side to take, which is an astounding outcome considering that the visitors played the entire second half at the home of the champions a man short.
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Gary Lineker praises Gabriel’s impact for Arsenal against Man City
Considering all of the attacking talent on display at the Etihad between the two sides, three of the goals were scored by unlikely figures.
Erling Haaland opened the scoring inevitably before Riccardo Calafiori, Gabriel Magalhaes and Stones contributed to see the game end 2-2.
It’s been quite the week for Gabriel, who netted the winner against Spurs on match day four of the Premier League season, followed by maintaining a clean sheet against Atalanta before scoring once more at the Etihad.
Speaking about the defender’s impact on set pieces, Gary Lineker branded the centre-back as ‘remarkable’ for what he is currently doing during set play for the Gunners, via The Rest Is Football Podcast.
“Arsenal are good at their set pieces aren’t they? The Gabriel one was remarkable,” Lineker explained.
“Sky had a camera behind the goal and showed the similarities between the two and exactly the same move, and it was planned, and on neither occasion could City cope with it.
“Gabriel is an absolute force to be reckoned with in the opposition’s box.”
Just as the Brazilian did against Spurs, Gabriel lost his marker in the box as the ball was floated in expertly by Bukayo Saka before heading home to get his name on the scoresheet.
Arsenal are unstoppable from set pieces
Gabriel now has an impressive 16 Premier League goals to his name, with a lot to be said about the impact of Nicolas Jover on the defender’s career numbers.
Arsenal’s set-piece coach has led Arteta’s side to becoming monsters from dead ball situations, particularly corners, as seen already this season.
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Lineker was right to reserve praise for Gabriel’s movement for Arsenal’s second against City, with the Brazilian doing exactly what he did against Spurs yet was still unable to be stopped.
It’s a strength that Arsenal are top of the pile at in the Premier League, with teams struggling to contain the Gunners and their new target man.
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