Erling Haaland was “rattled” by Gabriel in Manchester City‘s thrilling 2-2 draw with Arsenal – according to Wes Brown.
City striker Haaland and Arsenal defender Gabriel were embroiled in a running battle throughout the game, with emotions spilling over towards the end.
After John Stones plundered a 98th-minute equaliser, Haaland scooped the ball out of the net and threw it at the back of Gabriel’s head, an act for which he escaped retrospective punishment. The Norwegian then barged into Gabriel when the game restarted, with the pair then involved in a frank verbal exchange, which also drew in Arsenal sub Gabriel Jesus after the final whistle.
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Former Manchester United and England defender Brown reckons Gabriel was successful in his clear aim of riling Haaland – and getting under the skin of the City goal machine.
Brown, speaking to instantcasino.com, said: “I think Gabriel rattled Haaland a little bit the other day. You could see there were a few little squabbles between the pair, and I think that means that Haaland knew that he was having a tough game against Gabriel, even though he scored.
“He’d probably lap it up if he was having a good game, so you can tell that he must have got to him throughout the match. It can be easy to lose your head a bit at times. It was a big game between the two best sides in the league, and I reckon it’ll be those two at the top again.
“City scored that late goal, but they’ll still be disappointed with drawing the game. It was a chance for them to pull away a little bit. You could see it was a very physical game, so it’s no surprise things spilled over a little bit between the players.”
Brown also hailed Gabriel and his centre-back partner William Saliba as the best central defensive pairing in the Premier League. But he said they must win trophies in order to be regarded as the best in the world.
Brown added: “Gabriel and Saliba are the best centre-back partnership in the Premier League, by far. Arsenal finishing in the league where they have in the past couple of seasons has largely been down to them. They’re strong, quick and aggressive – you wouldn’t want to play against them.
(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)
“I remember when they first came into the side a couple of seasons ago and everyone could tell they were good, but it was also about whether they could settle down in the Premier League – and they’ve definitely done that. They’ve really stamped their authority on the league.
“Whether they’re the best in the world is a different question. If they start to win big trophies, then maybe people can start saying that. You can’t really compare them to other partnerships who have lifted titles and done it all, so we need to wait and see what they can achieve first.”
To read Brown’s full interview go to instantcasino.com