Gabriel and William Saliba kept Erling Haaland quiet for a third time this season on Sunday.
The great battle between Man City and Arsenal in round 30 of the Premier League has ended. At Etihad Stadium, the two teams drew 0-0. The match was tight, with not much space or space for the stars to attack on both sides.
Man City tried very hard but were extremely stuck in finding a way into the final third of the opponent’s field. Haaland made many runs. However, in general, the gameplay lacks cohesion. Haaland made an effort but that was not enough against Saliba and Gabriel.
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William Saliba and Gabriel are the first center-back partnership to restrict Erling Haaland to shots on target both home and away in a Premier League season
Haaland experienced a lackluster match day. The Norwegian striker was ‘missing’ the whole match due to lack of space and space. The central defender duo of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes completely locked down Haaland.
Besides Haaland, Man City’s other attacking stars had unimpressive days. Bernardo Silva, Phil Foden, and Kevin de Bruyne faced many difficulties against Arsenal’s tight defense.
Despite William Saliba winning the man of the match award at the Etihad yesterday, his centre-back partner Gabriel was also incredible. The pair produced a top defensive display to help Arsenal pick up their first point away to Manchester City since 2016.
The Frenchman was rightfully handed the MOTM award after winning possession back eight times, winning seven duels, making two successful tackles and completing 25 accurate passes throughout the 90 minutes.
Gabriel is the strength and muscle, while William Saliba is the calm and composed of the two. The two defenders compliment each other so well which is why they’re now arguably the best centre-back pairing in the world right now
The Gunners have the best defensive record in the Premier League this season which is largely down to the performances of the two centre-backs. Arsenal have kept the most clean sheets this season with 11 while conceding the least goals with 24 against in 29 games.