Gary Neville was furious at Gabriel Martinelli for pushing Conor Bradley after the Liverpool star was forced off injured
Former Manchester United defender Gary Neville was left fuming after Liverpool defender Conor Bradley was carried off on a stretcher following a terrible accident against Arsenal.
The Northern Ireland full-back fell while trying to clear the ball. Bradley tried to kick the ball into touch before ducking out of danger and landing awkwardly. The incident turned ugly when Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli threw the ball at a defender before attempting to push him off the pitch to restart play.
A scuffle with the Brazilian ensued and Ibrahima Konate was singled out for his role in the ugly confrontation.
read more: Gunners star sent off due to another injury in Arsenal’s game against Liverpool
Neville was appalled by the Arsenal forward’s lack of compassion, and his co-commentator could be heard being upset by the incident and subsequent actions.
“You can’t kick him off the pitch, you can’t do that,” Neville said, before labeling Martinelli an “idiot”.
“I’m surprised one of the Liverpool players didn’t throw a right punch at him. I think an apology is due.
“I’m angry at Martinelli. I don’t know how a Liverpool player could have hit him and not gotten a red card. It’s absolutely disgraceful.”
Dominik Szoboszlai and Roy Keane have made their feelings clear on the issue of the former Manchester United captain not pulling any punches.
“I know Connor twisted his knee, but I don’t know what’s going on,” Szoboszlai said.
“He didn’t want to go back on the pitch to waste time. He was in so much pain that he didn’t know where to turn.
“And you’re coming there to push him. I understand you want to win, we want to win too, but the health of the players is much more important than anything else.”
“I didn’t like it at all,” Keene said. “It’s happened to me once before.
“It’s not good. First of all, you’re standing over him and throwing him the ball. He’s on his knees a little bit and you’re trying to force him off.
“I think that behavior is absolutely shameful.
“I’m surprised the Liverpool players didn’t go after him a little more. He’s a good kid to roll around on. It wasn’t a good scene, but hopefully he sees it and apologizes.”
Liverpool have ruled out Arsenal’s chances of leading the Premier League with an eight-point lead after their title rivals dropped points.
The top-flight leaders got off to a bright start and put intense pressure on the visiting side, who have lacked confidence this season, before Liverpool put up some resistance.
Bradley had a chance to take the lead after a miscommunication between David Raya and William Saliba, but his shot hit the crossbar.
Liverpool continued to push forward and Arsenal had little joy until the embers, when Szoboszlai came close to scoring.
But with the Reds without Alexander Isak and Hugo Ekitike, Arne Slott’s side lacked a clinical edge inside the 18-yard box.
Arsenal had their first shot on target in the second half with one minute left in regular time.
They were close to losing their game against Martinelli, but Gabriel’s free header from the final kick of the match was just short of the target.
However, this matchup will be overshadowed by Bradley’s severe injury and Martinelli’s reaction.
The full-back appeared to twist his ankle before landing awkwardly and clutching his knees.
The 22-year-old was carried off on a stretcher, adding more problems to the slot defense.
Giovanni Leoni suffered a serious knee injury on his debut against Southampton in the third round of the Carabao Cup, which required surgery and will keep him out for the rest of the season.
There will inevitably be concerns surrounding his involvement for the remainder of the season. The Reds are already short on depth in the backfield, with Joe Gomez the only senior centre-back option at the Dutch head coach’s disposal.
