At a Glance:
- One of Arsenal’s main men had a torrid time against Manchester City.
- The Arsenal star was their biggest disappointment alongside Kai Havertz on the day.
- Mikel Arteta’s key man lost seven duels at the Etihad Stadium.
The image of a dejected Gabriel Magalhaes applauding the away support at the Etihad Stadium summed up how Arsenal felt after their disappointing 2-1 defeat against Manchester City.
While the Gunners did not shy away from the prospect of going toe-to-toe against City, none of the visiting players produced a standout performance akin to Bernardo Silva or Nico O’Reilly on Sunday.
Experienced players like Kai Havertz faltered against Manchester City, missing chances one would expect him to usually take to ensure Mikel Arteta’s side earn a point at the very least.
Meanwhile, Gabriel’s battle with Erling Haaland was won by the Norwegian international, who bullied the former Lille centre-back to score the all-important winner.
- READ MORE: Wayne Rooney says he’d be so upset with Mikel Arteta vs Man City if he was £55m Arsenal player
Gabriel had a game to forget during Man City vs Arsenal
The £27 million (Guardian) man let Haaland take a step in front of him and could not escape the star striker’s grip of his shirt before the Manchester City marksman masterfully slotted the ball into the back of the net.
Rayan Cherki dribbled past Gabriel with ease before dispatching the opening goal of the contest as well.
All in all, Gabriel, who has shone for Arsenal this season had one of his toughest outings in the Premier League in years against City.
While Gabriel’s aggressive approach tends to work in his favour, he seemed overeager against Haaland as well to the point where he ripped his undershirt at one point. On a day where Arsenal’s main men were supposed to exude calmness, the defender was all over the place, conceded needless fouls and even went on to headbutt Haaland during their brief kerfuffle.
Haaland 🆚 Gabriel ‼️ pic.twitter.com/Z8bw7kOzm0
— Premier League (@premierleague) April 19, 2026
Speaking to Viaplay after the contest, Haaland believes he was lucky not to be sent off: “Should I tell the referee? Look at this! What is this?”
“He [Anthony Taylor] says it’s both [me and Gabriel going head-to-head], this is what he says all the time. If I went on the floor, it would be a red.”
Gabriel stats in Man City vs Arsenal
The stats further indicate why Gabriel would be hoping to pretend his latest encounter never happened.
| Gabriel vs Man City | Stats |
| Dribbled past | 2 |
| Duels won | 3/10 |
| Accurate passes | 25/32 |
| Goals conceded | 2 |
The Arsenal colossus was dribbled past twice, lost seven duels, misplaced seven passed and shipped two goals.
Mikel Arteta will be desperate for Gabriel to return to his brilliant best against Newcastle United next weekend as his latest showing left a lot to be desired.
