Former Arsenal defender Martin Keown thinks Gabriel Magalhaes is already a legend at the Emirates Stadium after his performance against Everton.

The Gunners beat Everton 2-0 on Saturday thanks to goals from Ezri Konsa and Gabriel to move level on points with Premier League leaders Manchester City, who lost to Aston Villa in the early kick-off.

Gabriel put in another brilliant performance at centre-back despite the absence of his long-term Arsenal partner, William Saliba, who is still out injured.

He has formed another brilliant partnership with summer signing Konsa, and Keown has already labelled the 28-year-old Brazil international as a “legend” at the club.

Keown said on BBC’s Match of the Day: “Gabriel is into his sixth season at Arsenal now and this guy is just a machine.

“You rarely see a striker get the better of him. I’ve seen him mature a lot and become the leader at the back. He was immense again today.

“He just loves defending and the fans just buzz of him. He’s a legend of the football club now.”

On Konsa, Keown added: “I’ve got so much admiration for him and how he’s come into the club, he’s been a great signing.

“They already had a number of great central defenders but him coming into the team has been seamless. He’s been magnificent, it’s a really outstanding signing for Arsenal.

“You look at that partnership with Gabriel, I don’t see a better one in the Premier League right now. Gabriel and Saliba are two of the best defenders in the world but he’s come in and not been overshadowed at all.”

Important for Arsenal to close gap on Man City – Keown

When asked whether it was important for Arsenal to draw level on points with Manchester City despite it still being early in the season, Keown replied: “Oh, absolutely it is.

“You don’t want a gap to open up so these are valuable points. Arsenal have so many games coming up so it’s important to keep pace with Man City.”

Giving his thoughts on his side’s win at home to Everton, Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “It’s a big win for us. It was a tough week with the schedule we had to go through, a lot of minutes and the games were coming thick and fast.

“We knew we had a very good opponent in front of us but, overall, we had a good performance and fully deserved to win.”

Konsa praised Gabriel on his 200th Premier League appearance, he told reporters: “I’m very pleased for him. He’s a top, top player and a top human being.

“Very happy for him. He’s my life easy since I’ve joined the club and it’s been a pleasure playing alongside him.”