Neville calls him an "idiot" Arsenal star is in the running for unsportsmanlike act of the year
The year 2026 is only a few days old and there is already a contender for the most unsportsmanlike action of the year. It happened on Thursday evening during the Premier League clash between Arsenal and Liverpool (0:0).
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- Arsenal professional Gabriel Martinelli causes a stir in the game against Liverpool with an unsporting action against the injured Conor Bradley and receives a yellow card for it.
- The scene caused widespread outrage in England, with TV pundit Gary Neville sharply criticizing Martinelli. Liverpool coach Arne Slot, on the other hand, defended the Brazilian.
- The game ended 0-0; Arsenal remain top of the table, while Liverpool are still well behind in fourth.
In stoppage time at the Emirates Stadium. No goals have been scored yet and leaders Arsenal seem to have to settle for a point at home against Liverpool.
And then this: after a long ball, Liverpool defender Conor Bradley tries to clear the ball and twists his left knee. Bradley writhes in pain and remains on the touchline.
However, opponent Gabriel Martinelli doesn't seem to buy his screaming. First he drops the ball on Bradley's body and when he has not straightened up a few seconds later, the Brazilian pushes him over the touchline. A scuffle breaks out immediately and Martinelli is shown a yellow card for his unsportsmanlike conduct.
Bradley eventually has to be carried off the pitch on a stretcher, which shows that he was not acting. It is still unclear how seriously the full-back was injured.
Neville calls Martinelli an "idiot"
The outrage in England after Martinelli's action is huge. Gary Neville, who watched the game as a co-commentator on Sky UK, was the first to speak out. Neville described Martinelli as an "idiot" and said: "That's just not on. I'm furious with Martinelli. I don't understand why no Liverpool player knocked him down and got a red card for it. It's absolutely scandalous."
However, Liverpool coach Arne Slot defended the Arsenal professional after the game: "I don't know Martinelli, but he seems like a nice guy. The problem for him is that there is so much time-wasting in football and players pretend to be injured in the last minutes of the game or during the game."
That can be annoying if you want to score a goal yourself. "I'm 100 percent sure he would never have done that if he had known how serious the injury could be," said Slot. "But it doesn't look good if Bradley has the injury we fear."
Martinelli apologizes
Martinelli also recognized the seriousness of the situation after the end of the game and spoke out via Instagram. "Conor and I had already been in contact and I apologized to him. In the heat of the moment, I really didn't realize that he was seriously injured," wrote the Brazilian. "I'm very sorry for the way I reacted. I wish Conor all the best for a speedy recovery."
The game ultimately ends 0-0, meaning Arsenal remain leaders of the Premier League with a five-point lead over Manchester City. Champions Liverpool failed to make up any ground and remain 14 points off the top of the table in fourth place.
