3 standout players from narrow win away at Leeds

2. Gabriel Magalhaes

With William Saliba proving revelatory at centre-back, Ben White showing his quality in an unfamiliar position and Takehiro Tomiyasu picking up from where he left off last season, Gabriel’s mistakes have been put under a microscope. While the Brazilian may be lax in his positioning and is prone to the occasional panic or moment of madness, he was remarkable on Sunday.

In a game where Arsenal were on the back foot for sustained periods, Gabriel was everywhere. He made crucial tackles, threw his body in front of shots and was an aerial juggernaut on set pieces. Anytime Arsenal needed a defender to intervene, Gabriel was there.

The defender’s kick out at Patrick Bamford was unnecessary. Even the slightest contact there and the red card is upheld with Arsenal potentially losing out on two points if the penalty was scored. He got away with one this time but his performance as a whole was instrumental in the team shutting out a rampant and dynamic Leeds side.

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