Arsenal defeated Newcastle United at St. James’ Park for the first time since 2023 thanks to a header from Gabriel late in stoppage time.
Though, the Brazilian defender nearly was the villain on the day for two major instances. First, Gabriel was criticised for his strength on Nick Woltemade’s opening goal. The German imposed himself on a corner to open the scoring in the 34th minute as Gabriel looked to the referee for a foul.
Secondly, just a couple minutes before scoring the eventual winner, he attempted a sliding tackle on Anthony Elanga in the Arsenal penalty area. Elanga attempted to cross the ball, but Gabriel had an outstretched arm as he slid in. The ball struck his arm as Newcastle appealed for a penalty.
Commentators Jon Champion and Graeme Le Saux scrutinised the video assistant referee (VAR) footage highlighting the proximity of the player to the ball, but in the end that wasn’t the entire, final ruling.






