Arsenal were forced to ditch their usual slick style of play in favour of a more resolute display when taking on Tottenham in the North London Derby.
Mikel Arteta, without many of his key players, made the trip across to the rivals in the hunt for three points nonetheless.
It was far from pretty, but the Gunners showed a steely determination across the whole team to deny Spurs a sniff at goal.
One player epitomised that performance and it was Arsenal star Gabriel Magalhaes, who proved to be the difference at both ends.
The Brazilian defender held firm in the backline throughout to keep the hosts from scoring, while his towering header was the only goal in the game.
Plenty of plaudits came in for Gabriel – affectionately known as Big Gabi – with stars around the globe giving their verdict on the North London Derby performance.
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Stars react to Gabriel Magalhaes performance against Tottenham
Gabriel was awarded the Player of the Match award after for his contribution on the pitch, which has gained much acclaim.
In his BBC Sport Team of the Week article, Troy Deeney was glowing about the defender, saying: “What a monster. Great header for the goal. It was just a monstrous display from Arsenal defensively.
“The two centre-halves stepped up but Gabriel gets it because of that wonderful goal.”
Taking to Instagram, the Arsenal star posted a photo with the caption: “What a Feeling!! Thank you GOD!!!”
In the replies, his Brazil teammate and Real Madrid star Vinicius Jr sent fire emojis, with Arsenal legend Ian Wright posting love heart emojis.
William Saliba joined in, simply saying “MVP”, showing the culture of winning that has been built at the football club.
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Is Gabriel Magalhaes underrated?
While Saliba and many of the other players from the backline take lots of credit, Gabriel can often be overlooked by those outside of the club.
It begs the question of whether the defender is underrated, given how much he has helped the team improve over the years.
That was something put to Arteta after the game, with the Arsenal boss telling the press: “The way he has evolved first as a person and then in his role in the club and the team has been phenomenal.
“It has been great to watch. This is why we are here, this is one of my passions to give players the environment, the support and coaching to grow, to prepare them for life and to get to levels they probably didn’t think [they could reach] before.
“Gabriel is one of the best examples of that. Why? He loves what he does, he applies himself extremely well and he wants it. When that happens, good things happen to these kinds of people.”
Regardless of whether he is correctly rated or not, Arsenal are all the better for having him in their backline.
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