Arsenal debutants Willian and Gabriel praised by team-mate Holding after opening Premier League win

BetOdds Arsenal Premier League Fulham Willian Rob Holding Fulham v Arsenal Gabriel Magalhães

The two Brazilians were to the forefront as the Gunners claimed a comfortable victory over Fulham at Craven Cottage

Arsenal centre-back Rob Holding praised the contribution of new boys Willian and Gabriel on debut as Mikel Arteta’s side got off to a winning start in the 2020-21 Premier League season with a 3-0 victory over Fulham.

Gabriel marked his first Arsenal appearance with a goal, which was sandwiched by strikes from Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, while former Chelsea star Willian weighed in with a couple of assists.

It was a dream start for the pair, and Holding was impressed by what they brought to the team.

“I know Willian from when we've played Chelsea,” Holding said. “I know he's got all the ability so it's nice to have him in your team.

“He proved why we signed him and Gabriel was solid as a rock. He won everything aerially and finished off with a nice goal as well.”

Holding is eager to form a strong partnership with the former Lille defender in what is primed to be a three-man rearguard.

“To win with the clean sheet is always nice,” he said. “We wanted to make a little bit of a statement in the first game of the season.

“The first one to kick us off so... other teams will be watching and will see the result before they went in, so to get a good 3-0 win away from home is a good start.

“Finishing the season with a trophy and starting this one with the Community Shield win... we've got a load of confidence coming in and now we want to have a good run and go for it.”

Arsenal will play host to West Ham at the Emirates Stadium on Saturday before travelling to Leicester in an EFL Cup third-round clash on Tuesday, September 22 before finishing their schedule for the month with a trip to face champions Liverpool at Anfield six days later.

The Gunners were faced with a lengthy list of injuries last weekend, with David Luiz, Calum Chambers and Gabriel Martinelli among the players who were absent. None are expected back for the forthcoming matches, with Luiz possibly out for as long as a month due to a neck injury.

2020-09-14 18:00:04

Comments

Send Your Comment

Download Application