Arsenal fans think Gabriel aimed clear dig at Benjamin Sesko after disappointing Man Utd debut

Arsenal fans think Gabriel Magalhaes aimed a subtle dig at Benjamin Sesko following the Gunners’ 1-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.

Mikel Arteta’s side got their 2025/26 Premier League campaign off to a winning start, while, despite a spirited performance, it was an all too familiar feeling for Ruben Amorim and his Man Utd side.

Riccardo Calafiori’s first-half header was enough to secure all three points for the away side, who had just nine shots compared to United’s 22.

The fixture also saw Matheus Cunha and Bryan Mbeumo make their competitive debuts for United, while Viktor Gyokeres – previously a transfer target for the Red Devils – Martin Zubimendi and Noni Madueke also made their first Premier League starts for Arteta's side.

Meanwhile, United’s new £74m marksman Sesko started on the bench at Old Trafford before replacing Mason Mount with 25 minutes to play.

And despite the excitement surrounding the Slovenian’s introduction, he failed to make a positive impact as Arsenal centre-backs William Saliba and Gabriel showed their class.

Both Gyokeres and Sesko were the subject of a summer-long transfer saga.

Arsenal held long-term interest in Sesko but opted to sign the Sweden international, who was previously on United’s radar.

Neither man will be totally happy with their debut contributions, given the fact that both failed to score or really make inroads into their opponents’ defence.

Gyokeres had just 21 touches, completed just four of his nine attempted passes and failed to register a single shot on target before the 27-year-old was replaced by Kai Havertz on the hour mark.

As for Sesko, he registered two shots and completed four of five attempted passes.

Then, after the match, Arsenal’s Gabriel posted a series of photographs to his Instagram account, including one of him challenging Sesko in the air, and some fans think this was a subtle dig at the Slovenian.

One fan said: “Dunked on him. Big Gabi expected a challenge.”

Another added: "SESKO met GABRIEL and he lost his JUMP POWER."

A third claimed: "Gabriel, man. What a player. What a player. Šeško came on and he swallowed him up in seconds."

A fourth quipped: "Sesko saw that Saliba and Gabriel pairing and told Amorin he would prefer to start from the bench."