Gary Neville takes aim at Arsenal star after Liverpool win

Gary Neville takes aim at Arsenal star after Liverpool win Gabriel Diving Row Overshadows Arsenal’s Latest Anfield Test Against Liverpool Arsenal arrived at Anfield knowing the size of the task. They also arrived with Gabriel back in the side, restored after being rested for the midweek cup defeat to Fleetwood Town. Within three minutes, he had already become the main talking point. The incident was simple enough. Alexander Isak moved into contact with Gabriel, the Arsenal defender went down clutching his face, and the immediate reaction suggested he may have been caught high. Replay told a different story. The contact was in the upper chest, not the face, and that changed the mood around it completely. The verdict was brutal and, frankly, understandable. “Gabriel does let himself down at times. I love his passion and tenacity,” Neville said on commentary. “But there’s a push into his upper chest and goes down holding his face. It’s embarrassing. He’s got to stop doing that.” Gabriel Incident Draws Focus at Anfield This is the problem for Arsenal. Gabriel is an aggressive, front-foot defender and usually an asset in these matches. Against Liverpool, and particularly against a striker like Isak, that edge matters. What Arsenal do not need is needless theatre. It distracts from the contest and invites scrutiny that serves no purpose. There was already enough pressure on the visitors. Arsenal have not won at Anfield in the league since 2012, when Mikel Arteta was still playing. That record hangs over this fixture because history matters in grounds like this, and Liverpool know exactly how to use it. Arsenal and Mikel Arteta Chasing Anfield Breakthrough Arteta had made the challenge clear before kick-off. “It’s an opportunity. I came here [to Arsenal] and in many places we were 20, 22 years, 18 years without winning, and we’ve been doing all these things, so on Sunday, that’s the opportunity that we have.” Photo IMAGO He added, “We’re going there with full conviction; that’s number one, and we’ve been very, very close in the last few years to win. But something is missed, and that’s what we’ve been discussing the last few days. To go there with a real purpose. To hurt them and get away from there with a victory.” That was the challenge. Discipline, composure and conviction. Gabriel’s early moment did not exactly scream any of the three.