Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes admitted that he prayed to God after thinking his winning goal against Fulham was going to be ruled out for handball.
Gabriel endured a rollercoaster evening at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday evening before ultimately coming out on top in a 2-1 win. He was initially cast as the villain of the night, after being dispossessed by Aleksandar Mitrovic for Fulham’s opening goal in the second half. "After I lost the ball my head was down," said Gabriel post-game. "But I look at my brothers and they say ‘Gabby, let’s go, let’s go’."
But Martin Odegaard equalised eight minutes later with a deflected effort before Gabriel was given his chance at redemption. Former Arsenal goalkeeper Bernd Leno missed his punch from Gabriel Martinelli’s corner and the ball dropped for Gabriel to turn into an empty net.
His 85th minute goal turned out to be the winner, but there was a period of anxiety to endure for Gabriel while VAR checked the goal for infringements. The ball went close to both his and William Saliba's hands as it dropped, while Fulham’s players questioned whether Leno was fouled.
Happily for Gabriel his knee slide by the corner flag was not out of place as he went from zero to hero to ensure Arsenal kept their perfect record in the Premier League. But, speaking to Sky Sports after the match, the Brazilian defender admitted he was worried after asking referee Jarred Gillett why VAR was getting involved.
"After I scored the ref said ‘handball’, I just asked God. I’m so happy with my team and the three points. It’s a big fight but this is the Premier League. I’m so happy.”
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Arsenal’s players were delighted for Gabriel to rectify his earlier mistake. "He’s a guy with a big character,” Bukayo Saka told BBC Match of the Day. “He deserved to get the winner."
He added: "We had to be patient. Credit to Fulham, they made it difficult for us. In the end we got the result we wanted, so we’re happy. Eddie Nketiah made a real difference for us. I’m happy with his contribution and I’m sure he’ll score a lot of goals for us this season.
"We’re all so hungry to win each game. We’re going to continue like this for the whole season. We know how difficult the Premier League is. We’re just focusing on the next game, the next game and the next game."
Arsenal sit top of the Premier League, with 12 points from their opening four games. They are two points clear of Manchester City, who came from 2-0 down to beat Crystal Palace 4-2 thanks to a hat-trick from Erling Haaland, and Brighton, who beat Leeds 1-0. Next up Mikel Arteta’s side will face Aston Villa at home on Wednesday before travelling to Old Trafford to play Manchester United next weekend.
