Mikel Arteta has admitted that Arsenal were “scared” after Gabriel appeared to injure himself against Everton, praising his reaction as he recovered to play a crucial role in the victory.
The Brazilian defender looked in considerable pain and immediately raised his hand to the Arsenal bench to signal that he needed medical attention, with Gabriel then receiving treatment on the pitch as concerned supporters and team-mates looked on.
It did not look good as he gingerly made his way off and continued to stretch out his leg, but then signalled that he wanted to go back on after more treatment on the sidelines.
Not only did Gabriel return, he went on to make sure of another victory for Arsenal that took them level on points with leaders Manchester City - who suffered their first loss of the season at Aston Villa - at the Premier League summit after rising to head home Ben White’s cross with 22 minutes to go.
Asked about Gabriel’s issue and bounce back after the game, Arteta said: “Well, he's a clear example, when I'm talking about the mentality of the team, obviously the mentality of the team is the mentality of the individuals in the team.
“Gabi is a great example of that because we were all scared. Not because of the way he went down, but the reaction of the players that were next to him.
Injury scare: Gabriel was hurt during Arsenal’s win over Everton in the Premier League
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“Immediately he says that he wants to continue and then he scores a goal to help us win the game. That's what we need from our players.”
Gabriel’s goal against Everton came after centre-back partner Ezri Konsa had struck his first for Arsenal after only seven minutes, the summer signing crashing in at the back post following a succession of corners.
That was the first set-piece goal scored this season by the reigning champions of England, who developed a formidable reputation for thriving in such circumstances last term.
“Yeah, I wasn’t that mad to change those two from their positions,” the manager said. “It was because he [Calafiori] had a slight issue, we don't know what it is. It seems to be something very small, but he was cautious about it.”
Piero Hincapie returned from an ankle injury with a place on the bench on Saturday, while Gabriel’s regular centre-back partner William Saliba is not available yet but is making great progress in his recovery from a serious back injury suffered at the World Cup with France in the summer that has prevented him from playing a single minute so far this season.