"Gentle, not disrespectful" - Robbie Fowler defends Arsenal star‘s actions after 3-0 Brentford win

Former Liverpool striker Robbie Fowler has stated that he was disappointed to hear criticism from pundits about Arsenal defender Gabriel Magalhaes' actions following their 3-0 victory over Brentford in the Premier League.

The Brazil international said on Twitter after the game:

"Nice kick about with the boys."

This cheeky dig was in reference to Brentford striker Ivan Toney's tweet last season after the Gunners' 2-0 defeat against the Bees on the opening day. The Englishman mocked Arsenal for their performance in the previous encounter, which clearly festered in Magalhaes' mind.

Arsenal ran riot at the Brentford Community Stadium last Sunday (September 18) as William Saliba, Gabriel Jesus, and Fabio Vieira all added their names to the scoresheet. The three points meant the Gunners remained top of the Premier League.

Fowler defended Gabriel's actions after the tweet. He said (via The Boot Room):

“It was a nice riposte. Gentle. Not disrespectful. A reminder that footballers do care and don’t forget even the smallest of slights. And also that they do have a sense of humour. So I was a bit disappointed to hear some pundits suggest that Gabriel was setting himself up for a fall of his own and should have known better."

The retired England international added:

“How often do we hear these same people suggest that modern players are boring, that they’re too precious about themselves and out of touch with the man or woman in the street?”

The Gunners next face Tottenham Hotspur on October 1 at the Emirates.

---

Ivan Toney responds to Arsenal defender's tweet

In response to the Arsenal defender's tweet, Ivan Toney expressed his desire to reply to Gabriel. However, the Bees forward refrained from any counter as he admitted Mikel Arteta's side have been up to the mark this season.

Initially, Toney joked (via TalkSPORT):

“I think once was funny, second time was a bit cringey."

He then added:

“I bit my tongue, I wanted to reply and wanted to nibble. But fair play to them, they are a different Arsenal side to the one we played before."

As shown in Amazon's All or Nothing series about Arsenal's 2021/22 campaign, manager Arteta even used Toney's tweet as a source of motivation for his players ahead of the reverse fixture last season (h/t TalkSPORT)

Arteta's pep talk clearly made an impact as Arsenal secured a 2-1 victory when they met the Bees in the reverse fixture at the Emirates on February 19.