Tottenham Hotspur beat Arsenal in a pre-season friendly in Hong Kong, prompting a social media back-and-forth between Spurs star Richarlison and one of his Gunners rivals
Arsenal star Gabriel reminded compatriot Richarlison of the games that really matter after the rivals faced off in pre-season. Spurs and Brazil forward Richarlison was on the winning side in Hong Kong and shared a photo of his man of the match award on social media.
He also tagged Gabriel in the post in an apparent dig at the Gunners centre-back. The defender wasn't going to let that slide, though, responding with photos of the three man of the match awards he won in Premier League games against Spurs.
The first of the three awards came in the 2023-24 season, when Arsenal won 3-2 at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. Gabriel was also man of the match in both of last season's games - a 1-0 away win and 2-1 home victory for the Gunners.
Arsenal had won both of their first two pre-season fixtures, against AC Milan and Newcastle United. They came up short against their North London rivals, though, with Pape Matar Sarr scoring the only goal of the game.
Gabriel wasn't involved in the match in Hong Kong as he continues to work his way back from injury. However, there were debuts for the Gunners' new striker Viktor Gyokeres and centre-back Cristhian Mosquera.
"A big surprise, because whenever we have them [new signings] to participate in training sessions, in games, the attitude and especially the quality that they have has been incredible, so very pleased," Arsenal boss MIkel Arteta said after the game. "As I said, a lot of great things to take from this tour.
"The incredible camaraderie that we had between the players and the staff, and how I think everyone values where we are. It’s been a long two weeks, with a lot happening, a lot of things that you have to adapt in your preparation. But the attitude of everybody to make it happen, especially to everybody who has been involved in preparing all of the tour for us. A big thank you because they've done an amazing job."
Spurs boss Thomas Frank was delighted with the result, even if it was a friendly. “A 1-0 score against Arsenal is an absolutely beautiful score!” he told club media.
“Yes, it is a friendly, but it’s also a very competitive match. I said before the game that games against Arsenal are never ‘friendly’. It means everything. I have to give respect to both teams for their competitiveness in the game. It was very competitive."