Soccer-Gabriel shines at both ends as Arsenal ease past Everton to go level with Man City

Soccer Football - Premier League - Arsenal v Everton - Emirates Stadium, London, Britain - October 24, 2026 Arsenal's Gabriel Magalhaes scores their second goal Action Images via Reuters/Matthew Childs

LONDON, Oct 24 (Reuters) - Gabriel Magalhaes proved ⁠Arsenal's hero at both ends of the pitch on Saturday as the reigning champions beat Everton ⁠2-0 to draw level with Manchester City at the Premier League summit.

Making his 200th ‌Premier League appearance, the centre back was instrumental in a victory that put Arsenal level on 21 points with City, the Brazilian combining defensive authority at the back with a decisive goal that put the result beyond doubt.

"He's one of the best centre ​backs in the world, no question, with the impact he has ⁠in both boxes," Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta ⁠said.

"His leadership, his presence, what he offers to the rest of the boys is unique and we're ⁠very ‌happy to have him."

With his regular partner William Saliba still absent through injury, Gabriel's importance to Arsenal was underlined when Everton struggled to establish a foothold in the pouring rain at Emirates ⁠Stadium.

Gabriel consistently got the better of Everton striker Thierno Barry, who ​had a frustrating afternoon repeatedly ‌ending up on the slick turf and pounding the ground in frustration after losing several duels ⁠with the defender.

Gabriel ​also came to Arsenal's rescue when goalkeeper David Raya failed to deal convincingly with an Everton corner in the first half, clearing the danger off the line to preserve the north London side's advantage.

There was a brief injury scare ⁠after an awkward landing when Gabriel jarred his knee on ​the turf, but he quickly returned to score the decisive second goal in the 68th minute.

After his centre back partner Ezri Konsa had opened the scoring from a corner in the seventh minute -- Arsenal's first set-piece goal ⁠since May -- Gabriel rose at the back post to meet Ben White's floated cross to head home their second.

"Gabi was unbelievable, the action that leads to the possible injury and then the way he overcomes that situation with his willingness to go again and to score that goal," Arteta added.

"It's a great description ​of what he is as a player and as a leader in ⁠this club."

It was Gabriel's 21st Premier League goal for Arsenal - more than any other defender since he made ​his debut in the competition six years ago.

"Very pleased for him. ‌He's a top, top player. Top human being. Very ​happy for him," Konsa said.

"He's made my life easy since I've joined the club and it's been a pleasure playing alongside him."

(Reporting by Rohith Nair in Bengaluru; editing by Clare Fallon)

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足球 - 英超联赛 - 阿森纳对阵埃弗顿 - 酋长球场，伦敦，英国 - 2026年10月24日 阿森纳球员加布里埃尔·马加良斯攻入第二球 （图片来自路透社/马修·查尔兹）

伦敦，10 月 24 日（路透社）——周六，卫冕冠军阿森纳凭借加布里埃尔·马加良斯在攻防两端的出色表现，以 2-0 击败埃弗顿，在英超联赛积分榜上追平曼城，成为球队的英雄。

这位中后卫迎来了他的第 200 次英超联赛出场，他在这场胜利中发挥了关键作用，帮助阿森纳追平了曼城，同积 21 分。这位巴西球员在后防线上展现了强大的防守能力，并打入一粒决定性的进球，使比赛结果毫无悬念。

“毫无疑问，他是世界上最好的中后卫之一，他在攻防两端都发挥了重要作用，”阿森纳主教练米克尔·阿尔特塔说道。

“他的领导才能、他的存在感以及他对其他队员的贡献都是独一无二的，我们非常高兴能拥有他。”

由于他的常规搭档威廉·萨利巴仍然因伤缺阵，加布里埃尔对阿森纳的重要性在酋长球场瓢泼大雨中埃弗顿难以站稳脚跟时得到了凸显。

加布里埃尔始终压制着埃弗顿前锋蒂埃诺·巴里，后者度过了一个令人沮丧的下午，在与这名后卫的多次对抗中落败后，他多次摔倒在湿滑的草皮上，沮丧地捶打着地面。

上半场，阿森纳门将大卫·拉亚未能有效处理埃弗顿的角球，加布里埃尔挺身而出，在门线上解围，保住了这支北伦敦球队的领先优势。

加布里埃尔落地时膝盖撞到草皮，一度让人担心他是否受伤，但他很快恢复过来，并在第 68 分钟打入了决定性的第二个进球。

他的中后卫搭档埃兹里·孔萨在第七分钟利用角球破门得分——这是阿森纳自五月以来的第一个定位球进球——之后，加布里埃尔在后点高高跃起，接应本·怀特的传中头球破门，打入了他们的第二个进球。

“加比的表现令人难以置信，他那次动作可能导致他受伤，但他克服了那种困境，再次上场并打进了那个球，”阿尔特塔补充道。

“这很好地描述了他作为球员和俱乐部领袖的特质。”

这是加布里埃尔为阿森纳打进的第 21 个英超进球——比他六年前首次亮相该项赛事以来的任何其他后卫都多。

“我真为他高兴。他是一位顶尖的球员，也是一位顶尖的人。我真为他感到高兴，”孔萨说道。

“自从我加入俱乐部以来，他让我的生活变得轻松许多，能和他一起踢球是一种荣幸。”

（班加罗尔 Rohith Nair 报道；Clare Fallon 编辑）

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