Gabriel Magalhaes explains copycat 'pocket' celebration that saw Arsenal star troll Aston Villa's Amadou Onana as cheeky tunnel video goes viral

Having suffered an adductor injury while on international duty in November, Gabriel stepped off the bench to play 19 minutes of Arsenal’s battling 2-1 win over Brighton on December 27. He returned to Mikel Arteta’s starting XI three days later when Villa paid a visit to north London.

After being frustrated by the Villans across the opening 45 minutes - with World Cup-winning former Gunners goalkeeper Emi Martinez up to his usual antics - the deadlock was broken at Emirates Stadium three minutes into the second half.

Gabriel was the man to force a breakthrough as he tussled with Martinez at a corner and bundled the ball over the line. Another set-piece goal put Arsenal on course for three priceless points that saw them enter 2026 five clear at the top of the Premier League table.

The mood was understandably upbeat inside Arsenal’s camp as they made their way off the field after bringing Villa’s run of 11 consecutive wins to a close. Gabriel could not resist the urge to troll domestic rival Onana when making his way back to the dressing room.

Belgium international midfielder Onana has made a habit of pretending to put three points in his pocket following Villa successes - with that routine worked through following victories over Manchester United and Chelsea.

The Villans were downbeat after coming unstuck at the Emirates, with head coach Unai Emery making a hasty retreat before shaking hands with opposite number Arteta, and Gabriel’s behaviour is unlikely to have generated any smiles.

He is, however, adamant that his post-match celebration was just a bit of “fun”. Asked if he was offering a nod to Onana, Gabriel - who was caught on camera by the Gunners’ in-house media team - said: “Yes, yes. Those sort of things spur you on. It’s good fun. It’s fun for them, it’s fun for us as well. Like I said, we got the three points. It was not to get them back or to get Onana back. I know he’s a good guy. So, yes, no fighting, nothing. It was just something to celebrate.”

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Arsenal suffered a dramatic 2-1 defeat at Villa Park on December 6, but exacted revenge before the turn of the calendar year. Gabriel is delighted to be back playing his part in a quest for tangible success.

He added on returning from an enforced spell on the sidelines: “Personally, it feels very, very good. I'm very, very happy. It was a difficult day, but I worked a lot to come back as quickly as possible. Today I'm so happy to be back with the team with a big win.

“I think we need to go game by game and let's work together. And don't need to think about the other teams, think about us and the need to keep playing.”

Arteta said of having Gabriel back alongside established centre-half partner William Saliba: “He comes back from an injury of six weeks that probably should have been a bit longer, and plays against probably the team that is the hardest to control, especially the front players and the striker that they have, in terms of their movements and he impacted the game in an incredible way, both defending and in the opposition box.”

There will be no resting on collective laurels at Arsenal, with January shaping up to be another busy month. They have nine games to take in across four competitions, starting with a trip to Bournemouth on Saturday.

The Gunners’ schedule includes meetings with Liverpool, Manchester United and Leeds in the Premier League, while also facing Inter in the Champions League, Portsmouth in the FA Cup third round and London rivals Chelsea in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final.