Gabriel's Savage Social Media Attack on Tottenham Rival Spectacularly Backfires
Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhães shared a celebratory image of himself reveling in Sunday's commanding 4–1 triumph against Tottenham Hotspur, deliberately including Spurs forward Richarlison in his social media post.
Just hours following Arsenal's biggest ever Premier League away win against their north London adversaries, Gabriel was in high spirits. The Gunners had entered the derby facing questions about their championship aspirations, partly due to the Brazilian's mistake that gifted Wolverhampton Wanderers an equalizer the previous week.
Mikel Arteta's league leaders appeared anxious for much of the opening period on Sunday. Gabriel was among multiple players who carelessly lost possession when confronted by Tottenham's energized pressing game early on, and the center-back was powerless to prevent Randal Kolo Muani from quickly neutralizing Eberechi Eze's opening goal.
Viktor Gyökeres restored Arsenal's advantage just two minutes after halftime, setting the stage for what became a convincing 4–1 victory. Gabriel clearly relished the moment.
Multiple teammates left encouraging messages under the post featuring the imposing defender proudly displaying a four of hearts playing card, representing each goal his colleagues netted in N17. The most provocative element of the post was the reference to Richarlison.
The Spurs attacker shares Brazilian nationality with Gabriel, but there seems to be considerable animosity between them. Richarlison entered as a late substitute during the weekend match, yet still managed to clash with Gabriel on the field before receiving an online jab. This represented just another installment in the ongoing social media rivalry between the duo.
Gabriel vs. Richarlison in the Digital Age
Gabriel vs. Richarlison in the Digital Age
Confrontations between Tottenham forwards and Arsenal center-backs were once confined to match days. There might have been occasional verbal sparring in media interviews that ended up posted in locker rooms, but today's social media landscape provides numerous opportunities for minor provocations.
Gabriel was absent from the earlier meeting between these teams due to injury. Despite his spectacular strike, Richarlison would endure another 4–1 defeat and an apparently gratuitous dig from his fellow countryman.
Moments after the final whistle, Gabriel uploaded a photo of himself wearing hat-trick hero Eze's match jersey alongside the midfielder's Player of the Match accolade. Though completely uninvolved, Richarlison was mentioned in the post.
This was presumably a belated reply to the online exchange the pair engaged in during last summer's pre-season friendly between the north London neighbors.
Spurs prevailed in the sweltering conditions of Hong Kong last July, and Richarlison seized his moment. The Brazilian striker overcame a glaring close-range miss to share an image of himself holding two awards: the Player of the Match trophy and the pre-season championship Tottenham earned by winning the inaugural north London derby held outside Britain.
Gabriel refused to let the matter rest. Arsenal's accomplished center-back quickly countered with a photograph of the three Premier League Player of the Match awards he had earned against Spurs across the prior two campaigns.
Gabriel Taunt Backfires
Gabriel Taunt Backfires
Arranged before Gabriel on Arsenal's team bus traveling across north London on Sunday night was a collection of vending machine snacks and the Player of the Match award. As numerous observers quickly noted, Gabriel wasn't the recipient of that honor during the weekend.
Gyökeres deservedly claimed that distinction following a two-goal performance that Arteta praised as his finest display in an Arsenal uniform. Gabriel, conversely, experienced a considerably more challenging evening.
The confident defender was part of the first Premier League defense to allow a goal from Tottenham's struggling striker Kolo Muani, who potentially could have scored twice. With Arsenal leading just 2–1 in the second period, the French Spurs forward directed another clean finish past David Raya only to see it ruled out by the official's whistle. According to generous referee Peter Bankes, Kolo Muani had committed a foul on Gabriel before taking his shot.
There were certainly two hands pressed against the defender's back, but whether the minimal contact genuinely caused the 6'3" center-back to tumble to the ground remains debatable.
It proved particularly frustrating for Spurs supporters who witnessed Hugo Ekitiké apply greater force on Cristian Romero yet still score when Liverpool visited Tottenham in December.
Gabriel wouldn't have been overly concerned about such matters.