Liverpool’s night time in north London contained a second that shortly turned the primary speaking level lengthy after the ultimate whistle.
What ought to have been remembered as a disciplined 0-0 draw as an alternative ended with concern for Conor Bradley, following an incident involving Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli late in stoppage time.
The Northern Eire worldwide pulled up injured close to the touchline, and whereas clearly in misery, was shoved in direction of the sideline by the Brazilian as the house aspect tried to restart play.
Tempers flared instantly, with a number of of our gamers reacting instinctively to guard their teammate, together with Dominik Szoboszlai, who took exception to the remedy of the 22-year-old whereas he was on the bottom.
Martinelli apology follows Liverpool harm concern
🗣️ „If anybody is aware of Gabi [Martinelli] they’d know he is a beautiful man“
Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta react to the incident which noticed Gabriel Martinelli push Conor Bradley off the pitch while awaiting remedy, the Arsenal ahead has apologised to Bradley. pic.twitter.com/f7zZvMuyLS
— Sky Sports activities Information (@SkySportsNews) January 9, 2026
A number of hours after the match, Martinelli addressed the incident publicly by way of Instagram.
“Conor and I’ve messaged and I’ve already apologised to him,” the Arsenal ahead wrote.
“I actually didn’t perceive he was critically injured within the warmth of the second. I need to say I’m deeply sorry for reacting.
“Sending Conor all my finest once more for a fast restoration.”
The apology comes after Arne Slot was visibly involved about Bradley’s situation, later admitting he feared the worst when talking post-match.
Slot defined that when considered one of our gamers is down, “there’s one thing fallacious 100 out of 100 occasions,” underlining how pointless the shove appeared within the second.
Why the Martinelli incident nonetheless issues to us
Bradley has already suffered a number of harm interruptions this season, making the timing of the conflict notably worrying for us as fixtures proceed to pile up.
It was additionally notable how shortly Szoboszlai intervened, stepping in to defend his teammate in the course of the flashpoint, a second that summed up the unity inside Slot’s squad.
Whereas Martinelli’s phrases will likely be famous, the precedence for us stays the well being of our right-back, with updates anticipated within the coming days.
The apology closes the chapter publicly, however the concern it sparked lingers firmly on our aspect.
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