Arsenal defender Gabriel came under fire from Gary Neville during Sunday's clash with Liverpool at Anfield in the Premier League when he went down clutching his face after being pushed in the chest

Gary Neville slammed Arsenal's Gabriel for his actions just minutes into Liverpool's meeting with the Premier League champions at Anfield.

The Reds hope to establish themselves as contenders in the title race this season with a statement win, while Arsenal is hoping to leapfrog Manchester City to lead the way at the top of the table. Liverpool is currently on a run of five consecutive wins, with its solitary defeat of the season coming against City in the Premier League after the last international break.

It was a nervy start at Anfield that ultimately ended with Arsenal taking the lead a little after 15 minutes, capitalizing on an Alisson mistake, with Kai Havertz finding the net. But it was a moment earlier in the game involving Gabriel that caught Neville's attention on commentary.

A small collision between the Arsenal defender and Alexander Isak ended with Gabriel on the ground clutching his face. "He does let himself down at times, Gabriel," Neville pointed out, speaking on Sky Sports.

"I absolutely love his fire, his tenacity, his passion, at times he can be provocative. But there's a push into his upper chest and he's gone down clutching his face.

"Embarrassing. He's got to do better than that."

Of course, it was Arsenal who eventually broke the deadlock. Despite a cagey opening to the game, a poor pass from Alisson to Jeremy Jacquet allowed the visitors to capitalize and find the net.

Iraola's men responded well to going behind, but both Isak and Bradley Barcola squandered chances in the 10 minutes that followed. Arsenal's defense is known to be difficult to break down, which means Liverpool needs to find a spark from somewhere if it is to take something from the game.

The Anfield crowd certainly made its feelings about Gabriel known as the first half wore on. Given his earlier antics, boos rang out whenever he touched the ball.

Arsenal's players continued to frustrate Liverpool and disrupt the flow of the game. Liverpool won a corner, but David Raya required a couple of minutes of treatment after a collision with teammate Declan Rice.

In a remarkable recovery, the Arsenal goalkeeper saved a header from Virgil van Dijk following the resulting corner. He also prevented Isak from pouncing on the rebound to level the scoreline.