Arsenal’s resilient performance secured a hard-fought 0-0 draw against Manchester City on Sunday, keeping them just two points adrift of league leaders Liverpool, with defending champions City trailing by a single point.
Neville hailed Arsenal’s mental strength, applauding their ability to hold their ground in a challenging encounter against City.
Drawing a sharp contrast from their previous visit, where they stumbled, this time, they looked primed for a sustained title challenge.
Neville hails Arsenal defenders
As reported by the Mirror, Neville remarked, “The other one obviously is the defensive side of things. Last year without Saliba they were harmed and that has been proven today.
“To me today Saliba was immense, so was Gabriel, and the work ethic of the two wide players and two forwards was incredible.”
The former United skipper specifically lauded the defensive partnership of William Saliba and Gabriel Magalhaes, who effectively nullified the threat posed by City’s attacking trio of Erling Haaland, Phil Foden, and Kevin De Bruyne.
“They really ganged up on Haaland – it was a classic ‘one go tight, the other drop off’, old-fashioned tactic. But, they had a lot of players around them that enabled them to do that.”
Neville also highlighted Arsenal’s tactical brilliance and collective effort in their defensive setup. He commended the entire team’s contribution to neutralizing City’s attacking threats, emphasizing the importance of collective defending.
“If you’re playing against world-class players it often baffles me, don’t be embarrassed and think you need to double up. You have to get someone else with you and that’s what Jesus did. Jesus got Kiwior out of a lot of trouble today.
“ He was having a difficult game early on, Jesus right next to him and Saka next to Ben White. They had a brilliant game.”
Meanwhile, Sports Buddy also reported that Gary Neville criticized his Sky Sports colleague Jamie Carragher for his “offensive” opinion regarding the best Premier League rivalry during their appearance on Monday Night Football for Chelsea’s 3-2 win over Newcastle.
