"More important than Saliba", "Absolutely imperious today" - Fans hail Arsenal star after 2-1 win over Tottenham

Arsenal fans have lauded Gabriel Magalhães on X following their 2-1 Premier League win over Tottenham Hotspur on Wednesday, January 15. The Brazil international was solid in defense and his header led to the Gunners' first goal of the game.

Son Heung-min opened the scoring for Tottenham with a strike from the edge of the box in the 25th minute. The Gunners continued to pile on pressure in the remainder of the half and it paid dividends in the 40th minute when Gabriel's header from a corner went into the net via a deflection off Dominic Solanke. Although the strike was recorded as an own goal, Gabriel's prowess in the air was crucial for Arsenal once again.

In the 44th minute, Leandro Trossard gave the Gunners the lead after receiving a pass from Martin Odegaard. Despite Tottenham Hotspur's push for an equalizer, the game ended 2-1 in favor of Arsenal.

Gabriel maintained a passing accuracy of 89% (39/44) in his stint on the pitch. He registered three clearances in defense and won three out of three aerial duels contested (via FotMob).

In the game's aftermath, fans took to X to commend the Brazilian for his impressive performance, with one tweeting:

"Always maintained Gabriel is more important than Saliba and it's still true. We'd be in a relegation battle if not for him. Collosal. Easily our 2nd most important player."

"Gabriel I love you man What a solid performance," another added.

"Monstrous performance from Gabriel didn't give Solanke a sniff," a delighted fan tweeted.

"Take that armband from Odegaard & give it to Rice/Gabriel," a fan opined.

"When do we start calling Gabriel the greatest ever centre back?," another questioned.

"Gabriel was absolutely imperious today my word," wrote another.

How did Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard perform against Tottenham Hotspur?

AFC v Tottenham Hotspur FC - Premier League - Source: Getty

Odegaard was brilliant in midfield on Wednesday and his creativity was key in the build-up to Arsenal's second goal in the game. The Norwegian midfielder slipped in Trossard with a neat pass during a transitional attack and the Belgian forward slotted it away with a left-footed strike.

Odegaard maintained a passing accuracy of 86% (48/56) against Spurs. He provided four key passes and registered one shot on target (via FotMob). He also played nine passes into the final third.

The Gunners have now registered 43 points from 21 Premier League games and are ranked second in the standings. They are four points behind league leaders Liverpool, who have a game in hand.

Arsenal will host Aston Villa at the Emirates in their next Premier League game on Saturday, January 18.