Alan Shearer praises Arsenal duo for their exceptional performance in hard-fought victory over Tottenham

Although Arsenal was without key players Martin Odegaard and Declan Rice, they still managed to dig deep and secure a crucial victory in the north London derby away from home.

Mikel Arteta’s side were under pressure for large swathes of the game but defended resolutely before Gabriel’s thumping header earned the Gunners their third successive away win against Spurs.

But it wasn’t just the goal that the Brazillian earned plaudits for, with Shearer singling out his defensive presence – alongside centre-back partner Saliba – for Arsenal’s win.

‘They are big, they are strong, and they don’t mind a battle. In fact, they love a battle and a challenge,’ the former England striker told Premier League Productions.

‘They just got rid of everything that came into the box they were absolutely magnificent.’

He continued: ‘When you go one goal behind against this arsenal team you have got to do something special to get back because it’s very very tough.

‘They’ve got the best back four in the Premier League there is no doubt about that. The way they operate, the way they work, they way they are protected.

‘Spurs didn’t have an answer today – not for the first tie this season – but in the end, they ended up just lumping balls into the box which are food to these two centre-halves.’

Al full-time, Arteta was also keen to praise his side’s dogged willingness to grind out a result.

‘It was a tough week, and instead of finding any little excuses or arguments to do that – the opposite, face the challenge, play with courage, acknowledge our qualities and what we have to be able to do to win a game, and we’ve actually done it,’ he said

‘In order to love the game and win, you have to do a lot of things – sometimes people call them ugly.

‘Enjoying doing those ugly things is a big compliment of this team right now, and when you’re able to normally, you get a good gift.’

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