Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has publicly apologised following a controversial late-game incident involving Liverpool defender Conor Bradley during Thursday night’s 0-0 English Premier League draw at the Emirates Stadium.
What should have been a tightly fought title-race fixture quickly became overshadowed by an ugly flashpoint in stoppage time.
22-year-old Northern Ireland international Bradley went down injured while attempting a clearance near the touchline as Arsenal pushed for a late winner.
As the Liverpool defender lay on the turf, Martinelli appeared frustrated by what he believed was time-wasting and reacted poorly. He dropped the ball on Bradley before attempting to usher him off the pitch.
The moment sparked immediate fury from Liverpool players, with a brief scuffle breaking out on the sideline.
Both Martinelli and Ibrahima Konate were shown yellow cards, though the incident drew widespread debate after the final whistle.
Many questioned whether the Arsenal winger was fortunate to escape a red card, given the seriousness of Bradley’s injury.
Sky Sports commentators Gary Neville and Roy Keane were particularly critical, labelling the behaviour unacceptable and questioning Martinelli’s decision-making in such a high-pressure moment.
Neville said his actions were “absolutely disgraceful” and called the Arsenal winger an “idiot”.
Replays only fuelled the discussion as Bradley was later seen leaving the pitch on crutches with his knee heavily strapped.
Martinelli responded swiftly to the backlash. “I really didn’t understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment,” Martinelli posted on Instagram.
“I want to say I’m deeply sorry for reacting. Sending Conor all my best again for a quick recovery.”
Image credit: Chensiyuan, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0
Slot’s measured take
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot struck a notably calm tone when asked about the incident. “I don’t know Gabriel Martinelli, but he comes across as a nice guy,” said Slot.
“I think the problem for him, and it’s a problem in general in football, is that there is so much time-wasting and players pretending that they are injured in the final parts of the game and during the game, that you can sometimes be annoyed if you want to try to score a goal that you think the player is time-wasting.
“You cannot ask Martinelli to think so clear in the 94th minute.”
“I am 100% sure that if he knew what the injury might be, then he would never do that,” said Slot. “But it doesn’t look great if he has the injury which we fear he might have.
“But time-wasting, diving… I have seen it happen against us so many times this season that I can understand that Martinelli might have thought that this is time-wasting as well.”
Slot did, however, admit concern over Bradley’s condition after he was forced off in visible pain. The Liverpool boss confirmed the club are awaiting scan results, conceding that the early signs were worrying.
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