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Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta is sure Gabriel Martinelli did not intend to do anything bad to injured Liverpool right-back Conor Bradley.
The Spanish tactician spoke to Sky Sports after the match between Arsenal and Liverpool, which finished 0-0 at the Emirates Stadium and ended in something of a brawl between the two sets of players.
Martinelli was widely criticized for trying to push Bradley taken off the field while seriously injured, with the Reds defender eventually leaving on a stretcher.
The Brazil international really seemed to be losing his mind as he felt Bradley was losing time even though he clearly had a big problem that was preventing him from continuing to play.
Mikel Arteta on Gabriel Martinelli incident with Conor Bradley
Watch below as Arteta insists Martinelli must not have known how serious the injury was as he cannot imagine his player intending to cause further harm to a fellow professional…
?? “Obviously Gabi has no intention of harming him.”
Mikel Arteta says Gabriel Martinelli would not intentionally hurt Conor Bradley. pic.twitter.com/x4sJnh0ZEK
– Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2026
“He probably doesn’t know,” Arteta said. “Because knowing Gabi, there’s no intention. I don’t know what happened to Conor but I hope it’s not bad.
“But obviously Gabi has no intention of harming him.”
Pundits criticize Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli
Also speaking on Sky’s coverage of the match, pundits Daniel Sturridge and Roy Keane were not hugely impressed with Martinelli’s behavior.
Watch below as Sturridge described it as “worse than disrespectful”, while Keane thought it was clear that faking an injury was not the sort of thing Bradley would do…
“It’s even worse than disrespectful”
Daniel Sturridge and Roy Keane react to Gabriel Martinelli’s actions in Arsenal’s final minutes against Liverpool. pic.twitter.com/K7vLrnn6iD
– Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2026
Martinelli is a key player for Arsenal and can be a great talent to watch when he plays, even if it’s an ugly incident he’ll have to put behind him.
Nobody wants to see such antics on the pitch and it’s a shame that this was the only truly remarkable incident in a fairly bland match at the Emirates.
