The Brazil defender proved the matchwinner on Sunday.
After the 1-0 win, Arteta said of Gabriel: "The way he has evolved first as a person and then in his role in the club and the team has been phenomenal. It has been great to watch.
"This is why we are here, this is one of my passions to give players the environment, the support and coaching to grow, to prepare them for life and to get to levels they probably didn’t think (they could reach) before.
"Gabriel is one of the best examples of that. Why? He loves what he does, he applies himself extremely well and he wants it. When that happens, good things happen to these kinds of people."
On set-piece coach Nicolas Jover's influence, Arteta also said: " The relationship that we have, that’s why I made the decision to bring him to City when I was there and then to Arsenal. Him and the staff have injected a belief to the players that there are many ways to win football matches. This is a really powerful one. It’s given us a lot so big compliment to all of them."