Arsenal took an early lead in their London derby clash against West Ham on Saturday thanks to a Gabriel Magalhães header.
A well-worked corner routine saw a host of Arsenal players surge from the back post to the front post, with Gabriel the quickest to meet Bukayo Saka’s cross and flick the ball into the far corner.
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Mikel Arteta and his staff will no doubt be delighted to see a training ground routine pay off, while for Gabriel, it’s his third Premier League goal of the season, fourth overall, and second this week.
Gabriel was in control of proceedings from start to finish of the set-piece, first speaking with Saka and Martin Odegaard, before directing those making the runs in the box.
"Who else but Gabriel!?" ?
Arsenal are in front at the London Stadium ? pic.twitter.com/ZSqyinEW1w
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) November 30, 2024
Corners may seem like a rudimentary part of the game nowadays but for Arsenal, they’re a potent weapon.
Gabriel is clearly an expert and his exploits on this particular occasion left former Man Utd defender and Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville very impressed indeed.
“That is just incredible – Gabriel has just conducted that goal from start to finish. I can’t think of a more important place when defending corners than the near post,” said Neville.
“The quality of the delivery in is outstanding though and these Arsenal corners need special attention.”
Over on BBC Radio 5 Live, former Republic of Ireland midfielder Andy Reid added: “Straight away the Arsenal staff go to hug the set-piece coach [Nicolas Jover].
“It’s a brilliant ball in, there’s not a lot of pace on the ball, but it’s really accurate.
“Gabriel gets free and he has the movement from the back to the front post – he will not get an easier header.
“He has the desire to get his head on the ball, but the delivery is key.”
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