A defence of Gabriel Martinelli after that Conor Bradley incident

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·11 January 2026

A defence of Gabriel Martinelli after that Conor Bradley incident

Gabriel Martinelli has apologised for assuming Conor Bradley was exaggerating his injury on Thursday night and trying to nudge him off the pitch while he awaited treatment.

To give you an idea of how sensationally the incident has been reported, though, my brother, having not watched the game and only going off a report he read, said the Brazilian had apparently thrown a ball at the defender before kicking him!

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I had to explain the reality: that the Gunner went to take a quick throw, in frustration saw the game had been stopped, and dropped the ball, which lightly touched his opponent. With part of the right back’s body on the touchline, there was an attempt to nudge him a few inches off the pitch so the game could proceed.

No player has the right to officiate the game even if play-acting is going on. A professional athlete let adrenaline dictate his actions and needed to be calmed down with a yellow card and a warning from Liverpool, and even his own players. He won’t be the first or last to lose his composure during a match, but normally, once the final whistle is blown, everyone shakes hands, and there are zero hard feelings on any physical or verbal outbursts.

Yet based on Sky Sports coverage, you would think poor Mr Bradley lay on the floor holding his leg that had fallen off before Martinelli flung him over his shoulder. As pundits, I have defended Gary Neville and Roy Keane more than many Gooners, but I pay enough for my TV subscription to expect better analysis than ‘I’m surprised Liverpool players didn’t whack Martinelli.’

I grew up watching famous battles with Arsenal vs Man United, making it even more surprising that former United talent would be so offended.

As he posted on social media when saying sorry, if Martinelli had known one of his peers was seriously hurt, then he would have behaved differently. Which begs the more important question. What made the 24-year-old assume Bradley was wasting time?

That’s because if we are honest, if there are 5 times in 90 minutes when play is stopped for medical treatment, 4 times the player is healthy.

So if players are going to fake injury, can they complain the one time a player doesn’t know it’s legit?

It’s like when players criticise a ref for not recognising a dive yet continue to…dive.

If players didn’t feign injury in the first place, this confusion would be avoided.

If players want to rid the sport of cheating, they can’t cheat. They can’t have it both ways.

Dan Smith

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