Matchweek 21 of the Premier League saw Arsenal play out a 0-0 home draw with Liverpool. Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli attempted to push injured Liverpool defender Conor Bradley off the pitch, sparking a melee between the two teams’ players. After witnessing this controversial incident, Manchester United legend Roy Keane branded Martinelli’s actions “disgraceful”.
Martinelli had assumed that Bradley was trying to waste time, as the game could not resume while the latter was receiving medical treatment on the pitch. However, Bradley’s injury appeared to be serious, and he was eventually carried off on a stretcher. In addition to trying to force Bradley off the field, Martinelli also threw the ball at his injured opponent and seemed to kick him while he was lying on the ground.
“I don’t like this, not one bit,” Keane said after the game. “This sort of thing has happened to me before. I was injured, and someone tried to get me off the pitch. It’s not right.”
“Throwing the ball at him, standing over him, shoving him off the pitch—honestly, I’m surprised Liverpool’s players didn’t go after him more aggressively.”
“This is disgraceful behaviour. He rolls around for ages when he goes down himself. I hope he watches the replay and apologises.”
“You shove a player off the pitch without knowing how badly he’s hurt? That’s not okay.”
Former England and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge added: “Honestly, it was disappointing to see.”
“Passion and desire to win are fine, and you want to help your team, but you have to respect others.”
“I’ve been injured before, and it’s never a nice feeling. He thought the opponent was wasting time, but you need to have some self-awareness. This is just disrespectful—even worse than that, actually.”
