Martinelli issues late message after what happened to Bradley
Liverpool’s night in north London contained a moment that quickly became the main talking point long after the final whistle.
What should have been remembered as a disciplined 0-0 draw instead ended with concern for Conor Bradley, following an incident involving Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli late in stoppage time.
The Northern Ireland international pulled up injured near the touchline, and while clearly in distress, was shoved towards the sideline by the Brazilian as the home side attempted to restart play.
Tempers flared immediately, with several of our players reacting instinctively to protect their teammate, including Dominik Szoboszlai, who took exception to the treatment of the 22-year-old while he was on the ground.
Martinelli apology follows Liverpool injury concern
"If anyone knows Gabi [Martinelli] they'd know he's a lovely guy"
Arne Slot and Mikel Arteta react to the incident which saw Gabriel Martinelli push Conor Bradley off the pitch whilst awaiting treatment, the Arsenal forward has apologised to Bradley. pic.twitter.com/f7zZvMuyLS
— Sky Sports News (@SkySportsNews) January 9, 2026
Several hours after the match, Martinelli addressed the incident publicly via Instagram.
“Conor and I have messaged and I have already apologised to him,” the Arsenal forward wrote.
“I really didn’t understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment. I want to say I’m deeply sorry for reacting.
“Sending Conor all my best again for a quick recovery.”
The apology comes after Arne Slot was visibly concerned about Bradley’s condition, later admitting he feared the worst when speaking post-match.
Slot explained that when one of our players is down, “there’s something wrong 100 out of 100 times,” underlining how unnecessary the shove appeared in the moment.
Why the Martinelli incident still matters to us
Bradley has already suffered multiple injury interruptions this season, making the timing of the clash particularly worrying for us as fixtures continue to pile up.
It was also notable how quickly Szoboszlai intervened, stepping in to defend his teammate during the flashpoint, a moment that summed up the unity within Slot’s squad.
While Martinelli’s words will be noted, the priority for us remains the health of our right-back, with updates expected in the coming days.
The apology closes the chapter publicly, but the concern it sparked lingers firmly on our side.
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The post Martinelli issues late message after what happened to Bradley appeared first on The Empire of The Kop.