Arteta Defends Martinelli After Controversial Incident Involving Liverpool’s Conor Bradley

Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta has come to the defence of winger Gabriel Martinelli following a controversial incident involving Liverpool’s Conor Bradley during their recent encounter.

The flashpoint occurred deep into stoppage time when Bradley went down in visible pain after landing awkwardly while attempting to clear the ball.

As the Liverpool defender remained on the ground, Martinelli was seen throwing the ball in his direction and attempting to push him off the pitch, actions that immediately sparked outrage among Liverpool players and heightened tensions on the field.

Referee Anthony Taylor was forced to step in to diffuse the situation as players from both sides converged. Bradley, who appeared to be in significant discomfort, was later stretchered off the pitch, raising concerns about the seriousness of the injury.

Speaking to Football London after the match, Arteta insisted there was no malicious intent behind Martinelli’s actions, stressing that the Brazilian forward would never deliberately seek to harm an opponent.

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“Probably he doesn’t know because knowing Gabi, there is zero intention. 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,” Arteta said.

However, former Manchester United captain Roy Keane delivered a far more critical assessment of the incident. The outspoken pundit described Martinelli’s behaviour as “an absolute disgrace,” drawing on his own experiences as a player to underline the seriousness of the moment.

“I didn’t like it at all. It happened to me once. I was badly injured, and a player stood over me. It’s not good,” Keane said. “We know football, the player is a good lad. Throwing the ball at him, standing over him and getting a little knee on him, he tries to force him off. That behavior is an absolute disgrace.”

Keane went on to suggest that Martinelli should reflect on his actions and consider apologising to Bradley. “Hopefully, Martinelli will have a look at it and hopefully, he’ll apologize for it. Not good stuff that,” he added.

The incident has since sparked widespread debate among fans and pundits, with opinions divided between those who accept Arteta’s explanation of a lack of intent and those who believe the winger crossed a line in a moment involving a potentially serious injury.

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