Defender William Saliba was exceptional yet again as Arsenal remained resolute defensively, and the Frenchman helped the visitors limit Liverpool’s chances in what was a tight game.
However, his defensive partner Gabriel Magalhaes was as good, if not better, with the Brazilian also opening the scoring with an excellent header early on.
Saliba has now praised his fellow centre-back, who was dominant in defence against a tough Liverpool attack.
Gabriel took to Instagram after the game, expressing his delight that Arsenal had battled to a favourable result which sees them retain their spot at the top of the Premier League heading into Christmas.
“Good point at Anfield today!! We gave everything!! Thanks for your support,” Gabriel posted.
Saliba then sent a one-word message summing up Gabriel’s performance at the back, commenting “monstre,” meaning “monster” in French.
Both of Arsenal’s centre-backs were arguably two of their best players on the day at Anfield, and Mikel Arteta will have been delighted with what he saw from both.
Arsenal went toe to toe with Liverpool at a ground where they had not won since 2012, and last season saw the Gunners give up a two-goal lead, and suffered defensively with Rob Holding in place of Saliba.
Both centre-backs are seemingly perfect for each other, with Saliba’s calmness on the ball combining well with Gabriel’s aggression, which can help silence some of the best attackers in the Premier League.
Arsenal conceded just 0.97xG, and Liverpool’s goal came from a wonder strike from Mohamed Salah after Oleksandr Zinchenko was easily beaten. For the rest of the game, Saliba and Gabriel were monstrous at the back.
Arsenal have the best defence in the Premier League this season, and if they can keep this partnership healthy, then this will give them a shot at a first title since 2004.
