‘Absolutely outstanding’…Gary Neville blown away by £27m Arsenal player v Man City

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In the end, it ended up being a bit of a damp squib as Arsenal and Manchester City played out a tight 0-0 draw.

In a tense game at The Etihad, neither side could find a way through and in end, defences won out as Liverpool were the big winners on the day after their win over Brighton.

The attacking players on display just never got going for either side. Erling Haaland was quiet for City, while the likes of Bukayo Saka and Kai Havertz were quiet for Arsenal.

With defences dominating, the man of the match award was always going to be someone on the defensive side of things.

And speaking about his top performer on the day, Gary Neville was left in no doubt.

£27m Arsenal player impresses Gary Neville against Man City

A lot has been made of how solid Arsenal have been this season and today it was another example of how good they are defensively.

Crucially for them, both Gabriel and William Saliba turned up and stifled City’s strike force on the day.

And when pressed on who his player of the match was, Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville was in no doubt it was William Saliba’s award.

“Saliba has been absolutely outstanding, a giant on the pitch. A special mention to Gabriel as well, who wasn’t far behind in his performance. But this has answered the question of how much Saliba was missed last season,” Neville said.

Saliba signed for Arsenal for just £27m and is looking an absolute steal.

• READ MORE: Gary Neville thought one Arsenal player was ‘terrible’ v Man City

William Saliba proves himself again

Saliba’s injury has been widely pointed to as one of the reasons why Arsenal slipped away last season.

But with the Frenchman available and leading the way, Arsenal look solid as anything at the moment.

For Arsenal, having a partnership like Gabriel and Saliba is absolutely brilliant for them.

Arsenal will take the point today and run. And in Saliba, they have a defender who is right at the top of his game.

If they do win the title, then Arsenal fans will point to Saliba’s performances as being a key reason.