Gabriel Magalhaes has paid tribute to defensive partner William Saliba and goalkeeper David Raya for the vital roles they played in Arsenal's important 2-1 victory over Chelsea.

Goals in either half, both from corners, from William Saliba and Jurrien Timber sent the Gunners five points clear at the top of the Premier League. It was also Arsenal's fourth win over rivals Chelsea this season.

The Brazilian centre-back said of Saliba and Raya: “I'm very happy to give [Saliba] an assist. He hadn’t scored this year yet, and today he scored, so I'm very happy for him.

• Arsenal latest: Viktor Gyokeres set for awkward return as 'pair not trusted' claim made


• What Arsenal bench did after referee blunder and why Chelsea star could face FA charge

“[Raya] is a top goalkeeper, that's why he's here. We are very happy for him. I think it was in the last minute that he made a big save. We are very happy, we are here to put in our effort.

“We are very proud, especially the way everyone worked. I think we need to enjoy this time, but we know what is coming and we need to be ready again.”

FOLLOW OUR ARSENAL FB PAGE! Latest Gunners news, analysis and much more via our dedicated Facebook page

It's been an important period of stability for the Premier League leaders following their frustrating last-gasp 2-2 draw at Wolves - in which they blew a 2-0 lead - 12 days ago.

Since then, the squad have spent plenty of time together, both on and off the pitch, and have collectively pressed the reset button.

They've won convincingly at Tottenham and have now also edged past Chelsea to move another small step closer to glory.

Gabriel makes no secret of the fact a post-Wolves meeting between the players has proved key to their upturn in form.

He said when reflecting on Sunday's triumph: “It was a big battle today, so I'm very happy to take the three points.

"Everyone on the pitch was unbelievable. We know which [type of game] game we were going to play, so I'm especially very happy about the effort we put in there.

“After Wolves, we talked to each other, and we knew we needed to be better. I think last week was amazing for us and it gave a lot of energy to us to come into this game.

"We are very happy for the three points, but now we need to keep going. We know what's coming, so we need to be ready.”

Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source. Click here to activate or add us as Preferred Source in your Google search settings