Alan Shearer was highly impressed by an Arsenal star’s performance during their North London Derby win against Spurs, describing the player as “absolutely outstanding” and “superb.”

Arsenal centre-back Gabriel Magalhães secured a crucial 1-0 victory for the Gunners against Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday, scoring the decisive goal in the 64th minute. This win helped Arsenal bounce back from their disappointing 1-1 draw against Brighton & Hove Albion before the international break. The Gunners faced Spurs with a depleted squad, missing key players such as Declan Rice, Martin Odegaard, Riccardo Calafiori, and Oleksandr Zinchenko. Despite these absences, Arsenal managed to claim all three points, with Gabriel playing a pivotal role in their success.

Alan Shearer, the Premier League’s all-time leading scorer, was particularly impressed by Gabriel’s performance, praising the Brazilian defender during an episode of the Rest is Football podcast. Shearer highlighted Gabriel’s impact not only for scoring the winning goal but also for his overall outstanding display throughout the match. He described Gabriel as “superb,” recognizing his importance to Arsenal’s defensive and offensive play.

Gabriel has now scored 15 Premier League goals since joining Arsenal in September 2020, making him the club’s highest-scoring defender during that period. His ability to score headed goals is particularly notable, with Gabriel becoming only the fourth Arsenal player in Premier League history to net more than ten headers. If he continues at this pace, he is on track to set further records for the club.

There was speculation about Gabriel’s future at the club after he was initially left out of the starting lineup at the beginning of the 2023-24 season. However, manager Mikel Arteta will be relieved to have kept hold of the 26-year-old, given his vital contributions. Gabriel’s presence is a significant threat on both ends of the pitch, especially in set-piece situations, which have become a key weapon in Arsenal’s strategy.

Arsenal boasts the best goals-per-100-set-pieces ratio in the Premier League since 2021, scoring 22 goals from set pieces (excluding penalties) and leading the league with 16 goals from corners. Set-piece coach Nicolas Jover has been instrumental in designing routines that exploit Arsenal’s aerial strength, making them difficult to defend against. Gabriel’s contributions in this area will likely be a continued asset for the team moving forward.