Jamie Carragher defends £27m Arsenal player after West Ham draw

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Jamie Carragher has suggested that he feels sorry for Gabriel Magalhaes because he did everything right in the build-up to the second West Ham goal in their draw with Arsenal on Sunday.

Carragher was speaking on Monday Night Football (broadcast on 17/4; 19:29) as he analysed the draw which perhaps handed Manchester City the momentum in the title race.

Arsenal, of course, threw away a two-goal lead for a second-game running. They sparked their own downfall for the home side’s opening goal, with Thomas Partey needlessly losing possession before Gabriel flew into a tackle on Lucas Paquetá.

Carragher defends Gabriel after West Ham goal

The Gunners missed the chance to go 3-1 up with Bukayo Saka missing a penalty. Shortly after, it was 2-2, with Jarrod Bowen volleying home.

Arsenal had initially cleared the ball through Gabriel. But the Brazilian was one of the only players who looked to get the side up the pitch after the clearance.

Thilo Kehrer’s ball back in found Bowen, who had been played onside by the Arsenal players who had sat back. And that left Carragher defending the £27 million centre-back for actually doing all the right things and being let down by his teammates.

“When you’re a centre-back and you push out, you almost want players probably just a little bit in front of you because you’re organised. Once you go in front of them, you know people behind you just don’t think defensively,” he told Sky Sports.

“The big problem for me, for Arsenal is the defenders coming out are Holding, Partey and Xhaka. Now, defensive-minded players, they should be aware this ball’s going over my head. So I actually feel sorry for Gabriel because he does everything right. Good body position, he’s ready to go back but he just doesn’t know Bowen’s behind him.”

Injuries come at worst possible time for Arsenal

The likes of Rob Holding and Kieran Tierney have had their better moments since getting their recent chances. But Arsenal’s backline is not looking as strong without William Saliba and Oleksandr Zinchenko.

Everything had become second nature with that back four which had played most of the season. So losing Saliba, in particular, could not have come at a worse time.

Their partnership has been so integral to the success Arsenal have enjoyed. And you would imagine that the Gunners would have had a better chance of keeping the Hammers out had Saliba been on the pitch.

That is not a dig at Holding, who has been given a monumental task coming into a side pushing for the title at the business end of the season.

But it will be hard for supporters to not think that they would have got through the game on Sunday had their first-choice back four been out on the pitch.