Liverpool and Arsenal were goalless in stoppage time. The Gunners attacked the final third looking for the winning goal. Liverpool player Connor Bradley suffered a potentially serious knee injury and was eventually carried off the field on a stretcher. He is expected to be out for an extended period of time.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli, who is notorious for wasting time and feigning injury himself – earlier in the game was on the ground with his face in his hands for more than a minute after a Liverpool defender made contact with his midsection – reacted as if Bradley was faking an injury.
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Martinelli lashed out, throwing the ball at Bradley, putting his hands on his face and neck, making serious contact with his injured knee, and trying in various ways to push Bradley off the court so the game could resume. Martinelli received only one yellow card. He is not expected to face further penalties.
It’s the latest in widely reported news a day after the incident, which saw match official Anthony Taylor reportedly say he had in fact clearly witnessed Martinelli’s behavior, meaning the FA had no grounds to seek renewed proceedings against the Arsenal player for his explosive and unsportsmanlike outburst.
While pundits were quick to criticize Martinelli, both Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta and Liverpool boss Arne Slott seemed eager to put the incident behind them, with Arteta suggesting Martinelli “didn’t realize what was going on” and Slott saying, “I can understand Martinelli probably thinking it was a waste of time.”
