Arsenal fans collectively outraged over 'internal foul play' incident

Arsenal fans have collectively condemned Piero Hincapie following the accidental injury he caused to teammate Gabriel Magalhaes in the match versus Aston Villa.

Center-back Gabriel returned to Arsenal's starting lineup in a dominant victory 4-1 over Aston Villa, after being sidelined for over a month due to injury. This was also his first start since coming back from the break.

Gabriel was paired with Hincapie, who was positioned at left-back due to Riccardo Calafiori’s absence. The duo worked well together, helping Arsenal keep a clean sheet until the 94th minute stoppage time, when Ollie Watkins scored a consolation goal for the visitors. Arsenal also built a solid foundation to score four goals in the second half, with Gabriel opening the scoring.

However, a chaotic moment near the end almost caused Arsenal further injury troubles. In the 77th minute, Gabriel, who had just returned from a hamstring injury, was lying on the ground receiving medical attention. Hincapie approached to encourage his teammate but clumsily stepped on Gabriel’s outstretched right hand accidentally.

The Brazilian defender immediately showed signs of pain and looked toward Hincapie, who then patted Gabriel’s head apologetically. The incident quickly sparked a storm on social media, with Hincapie becoming the focus of Arsenal fans’ criticism.

One fan joked on social media platform X: “He’s trying to get extra playing time at all costs.”

Another wrote: “Hincapie wants to play center-back so badly that he stepped on Gabriel’s hand to get him off the pitch quickly.”

A different comment sarcastically said: “No wonder players keep getting random injuries every day.”

One fan pleaded: “Calm down, mate, please don’t sabotage things.”

Meanwhile, another supporter concluded briefly: “He wants to play center-back.”

In the end, Gabriel was forced off because of the injury that required treatment on the field, but Arsenal still comfortably secured the win. The three points extended Arsenal’s lead to 5 points over Manchester City (who have a game in hand) and 6 points ahead of Aston Villa in the Premier League standings.