Gabriel Displays True Arsenal Spirit with Support for Saliba Following Red Card Incident
William Saliba became the third player to receive a red card in just eight matches, and Gabriel Magalhaes demonstrated his commitment to the team through a heartfelt social media post.
Gabriel took to Instagram to express his solidarity with Saliba after the defender was sent off in Arsenal’s 2-0 defeat against Bournemouth. The incident occurred when Saliba received a straight red card for denying a goal-scoring chance to Evanilson after a misdirected pass from Leandro Trossard. Initially, referee Rob Jones issued Saliba a yellow card but later upgraded it to red after reviewing the situation on the VAR monitor.
In the second half, goals from Ryan Christie and Justin Kluivert marked Arsenal’s first Premier League loss of the season. This defeat left Mikel Arteta’s team in third place, missing the opportunity to overtake league leaders Liverpool, who were set to face Chelsea on Sunday.
Saliba’s dismissal added to a worrying trend for the team, with Arteta acknowledging the unpredictability of his squad’s discipline. He stated, “There are topics we’ve discussed regarding certain issues. What happened today is almost unpredictable. A winger plays the ball to a center-back in a split second, leading to a challenge from a distance. It’s challenging to plan for that. We need to ensure we play with 11 players if we want to achieve our goals.”
When asked if he was surprised by the referee’s decision, Arteta remarked, “It’s a split-second call. The striker doesn’t anticipate the ball coming his way. He made a quick decision, and the referee went from yellow to red.”
Following the match, Gabriel shared a photo of himself alongside Saliba on his Instagram stories, accompanied by a simple heart emoji.
Declan Rice was vocal about his teammates’ mistakes, emphasizing the need to improve. He stated to Sky Sports, “We’ve hurt ourselves three times in eight games, though we managed to escape against Brighton at home and City away. I’m proud of the effort shown, even with 10 men, but we must eliminate our naivety. Having 11 players for the full 90 minutes is crucial for winning matches.”
