Former Manchester United player, Phil Jones, was unimpressed with how Arsenal central defenders, Gabriel Magalhaes and William Saliba played during Sunday’s Premier League game against Manchester United.
He called the pair’s display ‘weak’ and ‘fragile,’ and said it was the most ‘fractious’ he had ever seen them.
Arsenal suffered their first home loss of the season, losing 3-2 to United at the Emirates Stadium.
The result cut the Gunners’ lead at the top of the table from seven points to four points.
Magalhaes and Saliba, who have both been key players in the team’s defense for the last few seasons, seemed to be slower than usual at certain moments during the match.
Former United defender Jones spoke to Sports Illustrated FC, saying, “I like Gabriel and Saliba. I think they’ve been top-quality centre-halves, but it was the most fragile I have ever seen them at the weekend.
“I felt like they were nervous, and I noticed there wasn’t much connection between the two of them. They noticed a feeling of fear in the stadium, along with that sense of worry.
“They weren’t poor at all, but they seemed fragile and a little weak sometimes, and it is the most fractious I have seen those two.
“You can feel that fear and desperation of wanting it so badly, and it’s almost like it can spread to others. When United equalized, it spread through the whole team.”
While the Gunners still have the fewest goals conceded in the 2025/26 Premier League campaign, this was the first time since December 2023 that they let in three goals in a single match.