Mikel Arteta explains Saliba & Gabriel spat after Arsenal's win vs Leicester

Arsenal head coach Mikel Arteta has dismissed the bizarre spat between William Saliba and Gabriel against Leicester City, saying the duo love playing together but are demanding of each other. 

 Arsenal beat Leicester 1-0 on Saturday as they maintained their two-point lead at the top of the Premier League table over the weekend. 

  It was a vital win as the title race continues, but there was an unusual scene after the gane as the two Arsenal defenders seemed to have an argument amid the celebrations. 

 There appeared to be some frustration as both players exchanged words and the Frenchman even pushed the Brazilian star away. 

 But, Arteta, while not explaining what the interaction was about, dismissed it as two players who are close on and off the field having high standards of each other. 

 ‘They are a happy marriage,’ Arteta told a press conference on Tuesday. ‘They love playing with each other, they are really demanding with each other, which is good. Everything is fine.’

Arteta added: ‘I don’t want robots I want players with feeling and they demand more from each other. You want chemistry and those two have it on and off the field.’ 

 Saliba and Gabriel have formed a superb partnership in the middle of the Arsenal defence this campaign with the Frenchman shining in his first season in the club's first team after spells on loan at Saint-Etienne, Nice and Marseille. 

  The 21-year-old spoke ahead of the Leicester clash of the morale and close-knit nature of the team, telling Sky Sports: ‘This season, we can see the mentality is so good in the team. We live together, we are all friends and that’s why we play well on the pitch.’