Arsenal’s Aston Villa Celebrations Inspire Threat of Sanctions, Social Media Outrage

Two of Arsenal’s Brazilian Gabriels have come under scrutiny for how they celebrated Tuesday’s 4–1 win over Aston Villa.

Two of Arsenal’s Brazilian Gabriels were on the scoresheet against Aston Villa. / Stuart MacFarlane/Arsenal FC/Getty Images/Arsenal/X

The celebration police have been out in full force in the aftermath of Arsenal’s 4–1 thumping of Aston Villa on Tuesday evening.

While Gabriel Jesus is potentially staring down the barrel of an FA sanction after revealing a religious message, his compatriot Gabriel Magalhães turned heads when he appeared to mimic and mock Villa midfielder Amadou Onana’s preferred celebration.

Arsenal had plenty of reason to rejoice following their final fixture of 2025. After spending the first 45 minutes of a weighty clash against Unai Emery’s in-form visitors very much on the ropes, Gabriel romped forward from defence to break the deadlock with a scrappy goal from yet another corner.

The hosts rammed home their authority thereafter, rapidly doubling their lead through Martín Zubimendi before Leandro Trossard’s crisply taken third was allowed to stand following a VAR review.

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Jesus notched Arsenal’s fourth and his first goal in 363 days. It has been an emotional recovery period for the 28-year-old, who tore his ACL in an FA Cup clash with Manchester United last January. “It was 11 months, 11 months of doubting yourself,” he reflected.

With that history on his back, Jesus’s superb strike to cap off a flowing Arsenal counterattack in the 78th minute sparked a cathartic roar from the player and the Emirates crowd. The striker celebrated by whipping off his shirt to reveal a top which read: “I Belong to Jesus.” It was in the exact same font and style as the design unveiled by Brazilian playmaker Kaká following AC Milan’s triumphant Champions League final victory over Liverpool in 2007.

Gabriel Jesus last scored for Arsenal on New Year’s Day 2025. / Alex Burstow/Arsenal FC/Getty Images

Unlike Kaká’s exploits in European competition, Jesus is bound by the strict regulations of England’s football association. Law 4 in the FA handbook is most pertinent to these celebrations. It warns: “Players must not reveal undergarments that show political, religious, personal slogans, statements or images, or advertising other than the manufacturer’s logo.

“For any offence the player and/or the team will be sanctioned by the competition organiser, national football association or by FIFA.”

Unless Jesus can get away with the explanation that he was referring to himself, his statement boasts quite obvious religious connotations. Not that the proud Christian has ever hidden his faith. If anything, the hellish injury has reinforced his divine belief.

“Every single day for the first two or three weeks, I asked why it happened to me,” he recalled. “And then I understood that I needed to be closer to Jesus, to God, to read the Bible. It helped me so much, you know, because it kept me believing that I’m a son of God and then I could do everything if I felt God’s plans.

“If I didn’t hear the Bible every single day, I am 100% sure I would not have believed I could come back stronger than ever. Now I believe even more, because I’m a son of God.”

Fortunately for the self-proclaimed prophet, he has past precedent on his side. Liverpool’s Cody Gakpo revealed an identical undershirt in April 2025 and received no punishment aside from a yellow card.

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Gabriel Magalhães Explains Provocative Pocketing Celebration

THIS ENERGY ⚡️ pic.twitter.com/w7qELAoVNv

— Arsenal (@Arsenal) December 30, 2025

Jesus’s countryman and namesake drew attention for his celebration after the final whistle. Walking down the tunnel of the Emirates Stadium, Arsenal’s opening goalscorer caught the eye of the club cameras, making a show of stuffing three outstretched fingers—one for each point won on the night—into his pocket.

Fans quickly pointed out that Villa’s Onana had performed the same action to celebrate beating Arsenal in Birmingham at the start of December. Rather than aimed directly at the Gunners, the Belgium international has taken to showing off this harmless gesture throughout much of Villa’s recent winning run.

Gabriel himself was keen to downplay any sense of intended malice from his actions, even if it was a deliberate nod to Onana.

“Yes, yes,” he explained. “Those sort of things spur you on. It’s good fun. It’s fun for them, it’s fun for us as well. Like I said, we got the three points. It was not to get them back or to get Onana back. I know he’s a good guy. So, yes, no fighting, nothing. It was just something to celebrate.”

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