Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli to avoid retrospective FA action for pushing referee in Southampton defeat | OneFootball

Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli has escaped retrospective action for improper conduct during the club’s FA Cup exit at Saint Mary’s Stadium.

The Gunners have seen their hopes of winning a stunning quadruple fade almost as quickly as the shocking prediction started.

Manchester City landed the first blow on Arsenal after securing a 2-0 victory in the EFL Cup final at Wembley Stadium before the international break.

The Gunners recalled most of their first-team stars due to injury concerns, but they were dealt another hammer blow on their return to club football.

Mikel Arteta and his troops made the trip to the south coast to visit Southampton for their FA Cup quarter-final clash, but were rocked to their core as the Saints claimed a shocking 2-1 victory.

Despite the magnitude of the result, it wasn’t the only talking point from the dramatic encounter.

There was a moment between Martinelli and referee Sam Barrott that sparked plenty of debate over whether the Arsenal forward should have been dismissed rather than shown a yellow card.

The incident occurred in the closing stages of the game when Arsenal were chasing an equaliser as Martinelli pushed Barrott in an attempt to take a quick free-kick.

He was shown a yellow card, but former Premier League referee Mark Halsey believes he should have been sent off.

He said (via The Standard): “Referee Sam Barrott awarded a free-kick to Arsenal, Martinelli comes rushing in, and he pushes Sam out of the way.

“Now I’m sorry, Gabriel Martinelli showed total disrespect for the match official, Sam Barrott, in that situation.

“Although Sam issued a yellow card, for me it’s a red card. You just cannot put your hands on a referee, let alone push him out of the way.”

The Football Association (FA) will also let the incident slide, citing that the referee had already made an on-field decision.