Mikel Arteta explains why he made decision on ‘struggling’ Arsenal star in win

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Arsenal looked sharp after their mid-season break as they romped to a 5-0 victory over Crystal Palace, but there are a number of injury concerns.

Gabriel Magalhaes was the star of the show, as he headed in to open the scoring before scoring a second from another set-piece shortly after, but the strike was later credited as an own goal from goalkeeper Dean Henderson.

The Brazilian delivered a magnificent performance in both boxes as he was colossal at the back and decisive in attack, but he sparked fears as he went down with an injury in the late stages of the game, and was replaced by Jakub Kiwior in the 81st minute.

Mikel Arteta has now explained why he decided to substitute Gabriel off, but has hinted that his potential injury may be nothing to worry about.

Mikel Arteta explains Gabriel substitution amid injury fears

Gabriel was not the only player to be substituted off, as Declan Rice went off eight minutes before him, and appeared to be complaining about his hamstring.

In Gabriel’s case, he went down after a tackle, and Arteta did not want to take any further risk with him, just like with Rice.

“The same with big Gabi as well,” Arteta stated after the game after explaining why Rice was withdrawn.

“He had some discomfort, he had a tackle in the first half and was a bit struggling so it was the right moment to take them off.”

Gabriel’s colossal performance against Crystal Palace

The 26-year-old was almost flawless in his time on the pitch against Palace. Aside from his goals, he was a rock at the back, and whilst William Saliba did have a few hairy moments against the physical Jean-Philippe Mateta, Gabriel was near enough unbeatable and the visitors could find no way past him.

The Brazilian completed 88% of his passes, including five of seven attempted long balls, won five of his seven attempted aerial duels and drew three fouls.

It was another impressive display from the defender even aside from his actions to give Arsenal the lead, and his side secured another clean sheet.

Arsenal’s back line is probably their strongest area right now, but whilst Saliba has often taken the main plaudits, Gabriel has been an unsung hero in the defence, and his goals today were the icing on the cake on top of what was an incredible performance at the back.