“You can’t take him off the field. You can’t do that. It’s too bad. There needs to be an apology. Bradley is being carried off on a stretcher. To be honest, I’m angry at Martinelli.”
“I don’t know how the Liverpool players didn’t beat him so hard and give him a red card. It’s absolutely disgraceful.”
Neville’s comments caught the attention of viewers, with Ofcom receiving 567 complaints about Sky’s coverage of the match, the highest number ever for 2026, according to the Daily Mail.
Neville’s comments gained traction online with supporters after the game, but he was not the only Sky Sports analyst to criticize Martinelli, with Roy Keane branding the forward’s actions an “utter disgrace”.
Former Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge also criticized Martinelli’s behavior, saying: “It’s a shame to see. He’s passionate, he’s a winner, he wants to help his team-mates, but as a footballer you have to respect him.”
The Arsenal forward addressed the controversy on social media after referee Anthony Taylor showed Martinelli a yellow card.
“Connor and I have messaged and apologized to him already. I didn’t really understand that he had been seriously injured in the heat of the moment.”
“We deeply apologize for the way we reacted. We will once again do everything in our power to help Connor recover quickly.”
