Arsenal hero Ray Parlour insists there was “nothing wrong” with Gabriel Magalhaes‘ actions towards Erling Haaland, which Gary Neville slammed as “disrespectful”.
The Gunners dismantled their rivals Manchester City with a 5-1 victory on Sunday. Mikel Arteta’s side were visibly more hyped up than usual for the encounter, which has become increasingly feisty in recent years. That was apparent almost straight away when central-defender Gabriel laughed in Haaland’s face, immediately after Martin Odegaard scored the first goal just two minutes in.
There were several more back-and-forths between the Brazil international and Haaland during the game, after the latter threw a ball at his head back in September’s match-up. Gunners teenager Myles Lewis-Skelly then mimicked Haaland’s signature celebration when he scored the third, seemingly in response to remarks made by the Norwegian earlier in the season.
Neville, offering live commentary for Sky Sports during the game, was vocal in his disapproval of the Arsenal players’ conduct. Despite having his share of controversial moments during his playing days for Manchester United – including against Arsenal – Neville singled out Gabriel’s celebrations as “disrespectful”.
But former Gunner midfielder Parlour has now rushed to defend Gabriel and Lewis-Skelly. The 51-year-old argued that such passion is crucial in high-stakes games against rivals, which he likened to “battles”.
Speaking to The Mirror via NetBet Sports Betting, the three-time Premier League champion said: “There’s always going to be rivalry between top clubs. At the end of the game, you should shake hands and say ‘that’s it, the game’s over’. But in the game you’re trying to get one over on your opposition.
“Against Man United, I always thought the first tackle was very important. I got taught that as a kid coming through with Pat Rice, get the first tackle right and you’re suddenly on the front foot. I don’t see anything wrong with that [Gabriel versus Haaland]. I like the rivalry. The fans get a real buzz out of it as well seeing how much the players care.”
He went on to add: “When you put that Arsenal shirt on you’re going into battle and you do everything you possibly can to get a result. If you’ve got that mentality as a player, you’ll win a lot more than you’ll lose because you’ll be a harder team to beat. Having said that, after the game we did spill over at Old Trafford once because emotions are very high in football.”
The game in question refers to a clash between United and Arsenal, dubbed the ‘Battle of Old Trafford’ for its ferocity and high-profile incidents. The match saw Gunners captain Patrick Vieira sent off after kicking out at the fixture’s regular pantomime villain, Ruud van Nistelrooy.
Parlour was among the handful of Arsenal players who infamously confronted and pushed Van Nistelrooy after he failed to convert a last-minute penalty that would have won the game for United, stopping Arsene Wenger’s Invincibles season in its tracks.
(Image: James Gill – Danehouse/Getty Images)
But the post-match chaos that unfolded was the culmination of an intense rivalry that had been brewing for years between the two top English teams, who regularly fought for domestic silverware. Neville himself has been criticised for his rough treatment of Arsenal’s wingers in that period, with Vieira telling the pundit in 2024: “I couldn’t stand you because you were just kicking everybody,” which sparked laughter from Neville.
Still, Neville was clear over his distaste towards lesser antics on Sky Sports following Arsenal’s victory over City, stating: “I want to mention Gabriel and what he did to Haaland. It happened to me here, actually. Not here [Emirates Stadium], it was at Highbury many, many years ago. Where a player [Ashley Cole] came up and screamed in my face. We actually won the game 4-2 that day. I actually don’t like it. I think it’s a bit disrespectful.
“I get the fact that Haaland’s sort of pantomime villain here today, but there’s something about it that I didn’t like about it. I was many things but I never did that. I never went and screamed in a player’s face. I don’t know, I just felt there’s something about that I thought made me feel a little bit uneasy, a little bit disrespectful.”
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