Neville calls Gabriel 'embarrassing' for going down holding face vs Liverpool
Gary Neville did not hold back on Sky Sports commentary after watching Gabriel hit the turf clutching his face just three minutes into Arsenal's Premier League trip to Anfield.
The Brazilian centre back was handed the job of marking Alexander Isak and appeared to go down in pain early on, with replays suggesting he had actually been caught in the chest rather than the face. Neville was unimpressed with the reaction.
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“Gabriel does let himself down at times. I love his passion and tenacity,” Neville said. “But there's a push into his upper chest and goes down holding his face. It's embarrassing. He's got to stop doing that.”
Back in the side after cup exit
Gabriel returned to the starting XI at Anfield having been rested for Arsenal's Carabao Cup fourth round exit to Fleetwood Town in midweek, a result that caught many off guard given the gulf in divisions between the two clubs.
His reintroduction came in one of the toughest away assignments on Arsenal's calendar. The defender has never been on a winning Arsenal side against Liverpool at Anfield, with the club's last victory in that specific fixture dating back to 2012, when current manager Mikel Arteta was still playing.
Arteta sees 'an opportunity'
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arteta framed the long wait for an Anfield win as motivation rather than a burden.
“It's an opportunity. I came here [to Arsenal] and in many places we were 20, 22 years, 18 years without winning, and we've been doing all these things, so on Sunday, that's the opportunity that we have,” Arteta said.
“We're going there with full conviction; that's number one, and we've been very, very close in the last few years to win. But something is missed, and that's what we've been discussing the last few days. To go there with a real purpose. To hurt them and get away from there with a victory.”
Gabriel's physical, combative style has long been a key part of his game and a reason he has become one of Arteta's most trusted defenders, but incidents like the one at Anfield will continue to draw scrutiny from pundits when contact appears minimal. As reported by the Evening Standard, Neville's comments came live on Sky Sports during the broadcast itself.
Arsenal's result at Anfield will determine whether Arteta's pre-match words about ending the long wait for a win there prove justified, with the performance of his back line, Gabriel included, central to that outcome.
