Martinelli apologises to Bradley for pushing him while injured | OneFootball

Arsenal’s Brazilian forward Gabriel Martinelli said this Friday that he apologized to Liverpool defender Conor Bradley after pushing him off the field while he was seriously injured during the 0-0 draw in the Premier League. 

In the final seconds of the match, Martinelli let the ball fall on Bradley when both were on the pitch at Emirates Stadium and tried to push him off so the game could be quickly resumed. 

Bradley, 22, left the stadium on crutches and wearing a knee brace, while Martinelli received a yellow card, provoking a strong reaction from Liverpool players. 

Former Manchester United captain Roy Keane called Martinelli “a disgrace” on Sky Sports. In response to the criticism, the Brazilian posted on Instagram: 

“Conor and I exchanged messages and I have already apologized to him. In the heat of the moment, I didn’t realize he was seriously injured (…) I want to say that I am sorry for my reaction. I wish Conor a speedy recovery,” he said. 

Before the apology, Arsenal coach Mikel Arteta defended his player, calling him “an incredible and lovely boy.” 

Arteta stated that Martinelli would not have pushed his teammate if he had known the seriousness of the injury. 

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Arne Slot’s version

In the same tone, Liverpool coach Arne Slot admitted that he fears “the worst for Conor Bradley”: 

“We still don’t know, but he had to leave on a stretcher. We’ll wait for the test results to see if it’s that serious.” 

“You can’t expect Martinelli to think so clearly in the 94th minute (…) I am 100% sure that if he had known the seriousness of the injury, he would never have done that.” 

Arsenal failed to score at home for the first time this season, but the draw was enough to extend their lead over second-placed Manchester City to six points. 

By AFP*

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇧🇷 here.