Steve Nicol says he’s not surprised when Gabriel Magalhaes makes a mistake

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Pundit Steve Nicol has said that he’s not surprised when Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes makes a mistake.

Speaking on ESPN FC, Nicol was analysing Arsenal’s 2-2 draw with West Ham on Sunday.

After racing into a 2-0 lead at the London Stadium, Arsenal were the masters of their own downfall.

Sloppiness in midfield from Thomas Partey gifted the ball to Declan Rice.

The Arsenal transfer target played the ball into Lucas Paqueta and the Brazilian rushed into the box.

Gabriel then made the crucial mistake of diving in, and the Arsenal defender fouled his fellow countryman, despite trying to pull out of the challenge.

Said Benrahma converted the penalty, and the momentum of the game completely changed from that moment.

Bukayo Saka failed to convert his spot kick in the second-half, before Jarrod Bowen scored an equaliser minutes later.

It’s the second game on the bounce that Arsenal have let a two-goal lead slip, but the nature of this performance will be more worrying than the Liverpool game.

Mikel Arteta will be hoping he can have his first-choice back line available as quickly as possible now.

Arsenal defender Gabriel always has a mistake in him – Nicol

When asked about what went wrong for Arsenal, Nicol said: “The two main things, in my opinion, that went against them was a bad challenge from Gabriel [Magalhaes].

“Is that really a shock? Do we think Gabriel is the next Franz Beckenbauer? He’s not!

“He made a mistake and it’s not a shock he made a mistake.”

Jamie Carragher said on Monday Night Football that he felt sorry for Arsenal defender Gabriel after his mistake at the weekend.

Arsenal cannot afford any more slip-ups now, with a huge game against Manchester City on the horizon.

If they avoid defeat at The Etihad, then the title is still in their hands as long as they beat Southampton on Friday.

However, the pressure is beginning to ramp up, and many of Mikel Arteta’s squad have never experienced this before.

They may be heavily leaning on Gabriel Jesus and Oleksandr Zinchenko, who know exactly how the juggernaut chasing them down operate.

Arsenal can’t take anything for granted right now though, and Southampton will be their only focus right now.