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Martinelli sorry for pushing injured Bradley off the pitch; Slot blames time-wasting for reaction

Gabriel Martinelli says sorry for pushing the injured Conor Bradley off the pitch, meanwhile Arne Slot blames time-wasting for the reaction.

In the 94th minute of the 0-0 draw, the Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli tried to push injured Liverpool defender Conor Bradley off the pitch after the right-back fell to ground clutching his knee.

Bradley, who looked seriously hurt, and had to be stretchered off, was spotted leaving Emirates Stadium on crutches with a knee brace.

The incident led to a melee, with Martinelli and Ibrahima Konaté both being booked.

Martinelli took to social media and apologised, explaining he didn’t realise the injury’s severity in the heat of the moment and wished Bradley a speedy recovery.

“I really didn’t understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment,” Martinelli posted via Instagram.

“I want to say I’m deeply sorry for reacting. Sending Conor all my best again for a quick recovery.”

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta said: “I don’t know what happened to Conor, but hopefully it’s not bad. But obviously there is no intention from Gabi to do anything bad to him.”

He said in his press conference: “Knowing Gabi, if anybody knows Gabi, he’s an incredible, lovely guy. And probably he didn’t realise what happened. I hope that Conor as well, I will have a word with him now, with him, to understand that. But probably he didn’t recognise what happened.”

Liverpool manager Arne Slot defended Martinelli, saying the wider issue of time-wasting in football may led to the pushing and shoving.

“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.

“He couldn’t have thought about ‘this is Liverpool, they don’t do this’.”

Bradley’s team-mate Dominik Szoboszlai said: “I saw that Conor twisted his knee, I don’t know what happened with him, obviously he didn’t want to come back to the pitch for time-wasting, he was just in so much pain he couldn’t even think where he rolled and Gabriel come there and push him off the pitch.

“I understand you want to win, we want to win as well, but I think the health of a player is much more important than something else.”

Gary Neville (on Sky Sports): “I’m actually fuming with Martinelli. Honestly, I don’t know how the Liverpool players didn’t go over there and whack him, to be honest with you and take a red card. Absolutely disgraceful, that.

“You can’t push him off the pitch. You cannot do that, you idiot.

“I think an apology is needed.

Neville later added: “I believe football players are all good lads. He obviously thinks he’s trying to waste time at the end of the game, but I think you could see that was a bad one.”

Roy Keane (on Sky Sports): “I didn’t like it. It’s happened to me when I was badly injured and a player stood over me, and it’s not good.

“First of all throwing the ball at him, and he puts a little knee in him to try force him off.

“I’m surprised the Liverpool players didn’t react to Martinelli more. I think that behaviour is an absolute disgrace. Not good scenes.

“Hopefully Martinelli apologies for it.

“You don’t know the injury the player’s got, it looks pretty bad, and you’re trying to push him off the pitch? Not good stuff, that.”

Sky Sports’ Daniel Sturridge: “It’s disappointing to see.

“There’s passion and there’s being a winner, there’s wanting to help your team-mates, but you’ve got to be respectful as a footballer.

“Injuries are never a nice feeling. Martinelli is thinking time wasting but you’ve got to be self aware enough to see the guy is down. You’ve been there before.

“It’s disrespectful. It’s probably worse than disrespectful.”

Here’s the social media reaction, after Martinelli says sorry for pushing the injured Bradley off the pitch, and Slot blames a problem with time-wasting for the reaction…

@NilSatisNews: Michael Keane accidently pulls someone’s ’long’ hair when going for a header = sent off for “Violent Conduct”. Jack Grealish sarcastically claps a referee = sent off. Gabriel Martinelli throws a ball & pushes an injured Conor Bradley who is later stretched off = yellow card. Make it make sense…

@Corballyred: Still fuming at Martinelli’s disgusting behaviour when Bradley looked like he possibly picked up a seriously injured. He tried to move him before medics arrived, which could’ve worsened the injury. Surprised LFC players didn’t confront him at full time.

@SpiritOf2016Pod: Doesn’t look good for Conor Bradley. Martinelli is an absolute animal for what he did there. Hang your head in shame.

@SamanthaQuek: Throws the ball at Bradley, shoves him with his leg twice, then shoves him off the pitch when he’s badly injured?! Surprised Martinelli hasn’t been chased up the tunnel at FT.

@TheArsenal_: Martinelli doesn’t react until Bradley claws himself back onto the pitch to stop the game. Fuck the pile on. Was he meant to think someone who was seriously injured would think to do that?

@TheKopWatch: Martinelli automatically assuming Bradley was faking an injury tells you all you need to know about the mentality of a side who rely on horrible dark arts to win football matches on a weekly basis

@adamrowecomedy: If there’s any chance that what Martinelli just did has made that injury any worse, he should be banned for as long as Conor Bradley is out for. Fucking mental.

@City_Chief: Martinelli should be banned for what he did to Conor Bradley. The Liverpool right-back was clearly in pain and seriously hurt. Zero class from Arsenal.

@Dash111_: IF Bradley Connor has a serious injury there, the FA should ban Gabriel Martinelli there. you absolutely cant do that when a player is severely injured

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