JAKARTA - Liverpool manager Arne Slot said Gabriel Martinelli's push on an injured Conor Bradley in the 0-0 draw against Arsenal on Friday, January 9, 2026, was something bad. He further added about concerns with the severity of Bradley's injury.
The Liverpool defender fell without the ball with a knee injury in injury time at the Emirates Stadium. Martinelli then tried to push him off the field because he was considered stalling time as Arsenal tried to find a winning goal in the final minutes.
Bradley was then carried off the pitch and appeared in pain, with several Liverpool players objecting to Martinelli's behaviour.
"I don't know Gabriel Martinelli, but he seems like a good guy. I think the problem is - and this is a common problem in football - there is so much time spent."
"Players who pretend to be injured during the game, you can sometimes get angry if you want to score a goal. You think a player is stalling."
"I can't ask Gabriel Martinelli in the 94th minute, when the atmosphere is so emotional, to understand that he is playing against Liverpool, a team that will never give up."
"I'm 100 per cent sure that if he knew how bad it was, he would never have done it. However, of course, it doesn't look good if he has the injury we are worried about."
"It's just that football, stalling, and diving have reached a point where in the 94th minute the players think it might happen again because I've seen it many times against us this season," Slot said in a post-match press conference.
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai also said Martinelli's actions were unnecessary.
"I saw Conor had a knee injury, I don't know what happened to him. Obviously he didn't want to go back on the field to buy time."
"He was in so much pain that he couldn't even think about where he was rolling. Gabriel came and pushed him off the field."
"I understand you want to win, we want to win too, but I think the health of the players is much more important than anything else," Szoboszlai told Sky Sports.
Meanwhile, Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta insisted Martinelli's actions were not intentional, but said he would speak to the striker for further clarity.
"Knowing Gabi, if anyone knows Gabi, he's a wonderful, fun guy. Maybe he didn't realize what was going on."
"I hope Conor is okay, I'll speak to him now to understand. However, maybe he doesn't realize what happened," said Arteta.
Apart from that, Arne Slot is still monitoring Bradley's condition.
"I don't know (the severity), but it doesn't look good if you have to be carried off the field on a stretcher."
"I think when we look at the video, we probably think the same, but we have to wait for the scan results," said Arne Slot.
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