Gary Neville has labelled Gabriel “embarrassing”, following an early clash with Alexander Isak during Arsenal’s Premier League showdown against Liverpool.

Gabriel was restored to the Arsenal XI at Anfield on Sunday afternoon after being rested for the shock Carabao Cup fourth round exit to Fleetwood Town in midweek.

The Brazilian, tasked with keeping tabs on the in-form Isak, went to ground clutching his face as early as the third minute on Merseyside, prompting suggestions he had been caught by the Swede.

However, replays showed he was caught in the chest instead and Neville felt the central defender made too much of the contact.

"Gabriel does let himself down at times. I love his passion and tenacity,” Neville said on commentary for Sky Sports.

"But there's a push into his upper chest and goes down holding his face. It's embarrassing. He's got to stop doing that."

Criticism: Gabriel

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Gabriel has never been on the winning side for Arsenal against Liverpool at Anfield, with the Gunners’ last victory in this fixture coming in 2012 when current manager Mikel Arteta was still an active player.

"It’s an opportunity. I came here [to Arsenal] and in many places we were 20, 22 years, 18 years without winning, and we’ve been doing all these things, so on Sunday, that’s the opportunity that we have.” the Spaniard said in his pre-match press conference.

"We're going there with full conviction; that's number one, and we've been very, very close in the last few years to win. But something is missed, and that's what we've been discussing the last few days.

“To go there with a real purpose. To hurt them and get away from there with a victory."