Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot have defended Gabriel Martinelli after the Arsenal forward escaped a red card for attempting to push an injured Conor Bradley off the pitch during Sunday's 1-1 draw with Liverpool. The incident occurred in stoppage time when Bradley went down with a knee injury, prompting Martinelli to intervene as Arsenal chased a late winner.
Sky Sports pundit Gary Neville labelled Martinelli an 'idiot' for his actions, while Roy Keane also criticised the Brazilian. However, Martinelli later apologised on Instagram, saying: 'Conor and I have messaged and I have already apologised to him. I really didn't understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment.'
Liverpool manager Arne Slot said: 'I'm 100% sure that if he knew what the injury might be, that he would never do that. But it doesn't look great if he has the injury, which we fear he might have. Football, time-wasting, diving has come to the situation that players think in the 94th minute that probably that is happening again.' Slot confirmed Bradley would have a scan on his knee, adding it 'doesn't look good'.
Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta added: 'Knowing Gabby, if anybody knows Gabby, it's an incredibly lovely guy and probably he didn't realise what happened. I hope that Conor is well. I will have a word with him now to understand that, but probably he didn't recognise what happened.'
The draw denied Arsenal the chance to move eight points clear at the top of the Premier League, but Arteta praised his side's resilience: 'I think what they're doing is remarkable. To come out of this period with all the issues that we had, in the position that we are, I think the boys deserve my credit and everybody's recognition.'
