(Video) Furious Gabriel Martinelli involved in heated bust up in the Arsenal Vs Liverpool Draw after he pushed Conor Bradley off the pitch while he was down
Arsenal squandered the opportunity to stretch their Premier League advantage to eight points following a scoreless stalemate at home against Liverpool.
The league’s pacesetters had controlled much of the early proceedings, but Arne Slot’s reigning champions seized the initiative for significant portions of the second period.
The closing stages were overshadowed by a controversial incident involving Gabriel Martinelli, who dropped the ball onto an injured Conor Bradley before attempting to physically drag the Liverpool right-back off the playing surface as time expired.
Bradley was subsequently carried off on a stretcher, visibly suffering considerable discomfort.
The Athletic’s James McNicholas, Andrew Jones and Conor O’Neill break down the key talking points from the match.
**What possessed Martinelli to act that way?**
Liverpool and Arsenal players clashed in the final moments after the visitors took exception to Martinelli’s controversial conduct.
While attempting to play the ball out of bounds during stoppage time, Bradley appeared to sustain a serious injury, immediately clutching his knee as he collapsed. He was clearly in significant distress.
Bradley had fallen right along the touchline and play was halted, which visibly frustrated Martinelli.
He first dropped the ball directly onto Bradley and then, when the Liverpool defender shifted slightly to ensure he remained within the field of play, Martinelli grabbed hold of him and attempted to forcibly push him completely beyond the boundary.
Liverpool midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Alexis Mac Allister responded instantly (pictured above). Ibrahima Konate also rushed over quickly to confront the Brazilian winger. The incident sparked further jostling between players from both sides.
Bradley remained in obvious pain and required assistance down the tunnel via stretcher, potentially representing another damaging long-term injury setback for Slot to navigate.
In what had been an intensely competitive encounter, the Martinelli flashpoint provided an unsavory conclusion.
**Andrew Jones**
**Could Arsenal’s striker concerns prove costly?**
It represents an unusual paradox of their campaign that, midway through what has been a largely exceptional season, questions continue to surround Arsenal’s striker situation.
This marked another lackluster showing from Viktor Gyokeres. He registered only eight touches before being replaced by Gabriel Jesus in the 64th minute. During the second half, Gyokeres made contact with the ball just a single time.
Gyokeres has historically never been a particularly involved player in possession. Some of the game’s most lethal finishers operate similarly. The problem for Gyokeres is that, when goals aren’t flowing, he doesn’t seem to contribute significantly in other areas. Across his 10 appearances since returning from injury in November, he’s found the net just once — from the penalty spot against Everton.
How Mikel Arteta must long for Kai Havertz to be fully fit and available once more. The German international hasn’t featured for Arsenal since the season’s opening weekend and wasn’t even included among the substitutes against Liverpool. Even when Havertz is cleared to return, Arsenal will need to exercise caution regarding his minutes and workload management.
