Alan Shearer has now been full of praise for one Arsenal player following Sunday’s draw against title-rivals Manchester City.
Mikel Arteta will probably be coming away from the game with mixed emotions, delighted with the defensive performance but similarly frustrated that three points couldn’t be stolen.
Ultimately, the best opportunity fell to Leandro Trossard, who looked bright off of the bench.
However, the Belgian couldn’t quite sort his feet out quickly enough to cut the ball across to Gabriel Martinelli at the far post, who was devastated to be denied another winner.
But all in all it was definitely a performance that should breed confidence around the Emirates, a sign of how far Arsenal have come.
It felt significant that Kai Havertz played 90 minutes amid a flurry of attacking changes, a player Mikel Arteta now heavily relies upon.
And with that being said, it will be interesting to see if the German will be deemed to need a rest against Luton Town on Wednesday.
Of course, Arsenal were most impressive at the back against City on Sunday, leading to Alan Shearer’s praise.
Alan Shearer thought Gabriel Magalaes was faultess for Arsenal vs Man City on Sunday
Alan Shearer included Gabriel Magalhaes in his ‘Team of the Week‘ alongside Arsenal teammate William Saliba, and was blown away by the pair on Sunday
And commenting on Gabriel’s performance in particular, Shearer seemed to reference Erling Haaland’s inability to get past the Brazilian.
He said: “Didn’t put a foot wrong. Man City had no joy against him, they didn’t get a sniff in front of goal.”
Of course, it did still feel as if Gabriel’s performance was a bit underrated in the immediate aftermath of the game, with Saliba handed the player of the match award instead of the £25m-Brazilian.
But either way, both Arsenal defenders were absolutely brilliant, and perhaps proved that they are the best pairing in the league.
Virgil van Dijk and Ibrahima Konate might dispute that claim, but ultimately it will be the league table that decides once 38 games are played.
All that being said, Gary Neville has just pointed out a difference he’s noticed between Jurgen Klopp and Mikel Arteta.
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