Declan Rice and William Saliba thrilled with Gabriel Magalhaes after his performance in 1-1 draw vs Liverpool

France international centre-back William Saliba was impressed with the performance of his defensive partner at Arsenal Gabriel Magalhaes against Liverpool at Anfield yesterday.

The Gunners and the Reds played out an exhilarating 1-1 draw on Saturday, and the Brazil international was in fine form at the back for the visitors after opening the scoring four minutes into the game.

Gabriel did not only prove to be an attacking threat for Arsenal, he also limited the influence and chances of Liverpool in front of goal, with Jamie Carragher showering praise on him and Saliba.

Declan Rice was also blown away by his performance, and the England international midfielder and the Frenchman both took to Instagram to react after the game.

Gabriel was linked with a summer transfer exit after starting the campaign out of the starting XI, with Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta preferring Ben White as Saliba’s partner in central defence.

Real Madrid and clubs from the Saudi Pro League were looking to snap him up, but he insisted on remaining with the Gunners and has fought his way back into the starting line-up, performing brilliantly consistently since then.

The 26-year-old has been in fine form for Arsenal so far and will be desperate to help them win the Premier League title after the disappointment of last season.

He has formed a solid partnership with his French counterpart, and no centre-back duo has been better than the Arsenal stars in the Premier League this term.

Gabriel bagged eight league goals over the last two campaigns and will be eager to add to his tally going forward in 2023-24.

Arsenal return to action on Thursday when they host West Ham United before visiting Craven Cottage on the last day of the year to take on Fulham, and the Brazilian and his teammates will be looking forward to picking up all six points and consolidating their place at the top of the Premier League table.