Darren Bent claims £23m Arsenal player was even better than William Saliba vs Porto

Add as preferred source on Google

Darren Bent lauded Gabriel Magalhaes during the second-half as Arsenal saw off Porto in the Champions League on Tuesday night, making a claim about his performance that he does not get to say too often.

Mikel Arteta’s men booked their ticket to the quarter-final of the Champions League. A goal from Leandro Trossard saw their tie go to penalties. And David Raya was then the hero, making two saves in the shootout.

For the Arsenal backline, it was yet another clean sheet. That is their fifth of the calendar year. And it has now been more than two months since any team scored twice against Arsenal.

Darren Bent lauds Gabriel Magalhaes after Arsenal win

Obviously, William Saliba is one of the brightest talents in the Arsenal squad. But Gabriel Magalhaes has been integral alongside him.

Some will feel that Gabriel goes under the radar due to the ability of his teammate. But speaking on talkSPORT (broadcast on 12/3; 21:33), Darren Bent suggested that the £23 million Brazilian had actually had a better night than the man alongside him.

“Listen, Gabriel, he’s defended really strong today. He’s been good on the ball. And again, that set-play, whenever Arsenal get a set-play, he’s always the danger. He always gets the first contact, makes aggressive runs. Again, he’s defended really well tonight. I’ve been more impressed with him today than Saliba, and I don’t say that often,” he said.

Gunners have the tools to clear final hurdle this season

Obviously, one of the key reasons Arsenal appeared to run out of steam in the title race last year was the fact that they lost Saliba to injury for the final stages of the campaign.

Arsenal fans will therefore, be desperately hoping that none of their key men are hit by injury this season. But if they can keep everyone fit, the potential is clear.

Arsenal are blowing so many teams away right now. Before beating Brentford, Arsenal went on a five game run where they scored at least three past every opponent in the top-flight.

But crucially, they are keeping the goals out at the other end also. Certainly, it would be foolish for any Manchester City or Liverpool fans to write off the Gunners right now.