Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal crosses the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on January 08, 2026 in London, Englandplaceholder image
Gabriel Martinelli of Arsenal crosses the ball during the Premier League match between Arsenal and Liverpool at Emirates Stadium on January 08, 2026 in London, England | Getty Images
Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli has come under fire after pushing Conor Bradley off the pitch while the Liverpool man was down injured
Former Premier League referee Dermot Gallagher does not believe there will be a retrospective ban handed down to Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli after he pushed Conor Bradley off the pitch on Thursday night.
With the game in stoppage time, Bradley went down injured after clearing the ball and was visibly in a lot of pain amid fears over a serious knee injury for the Reds defender.
Martinelli went to restart play with the throw-in before seeing Bradley on the turf. He threw the ball on top of the Liverpool man and then put both hands on him to try and push him off the field of play moments later.
The incident caused a melee with Ibrahima Konate pushing Martinelli away. Martinelli was only booked for pushing Bradley off the pitch, with the officials appearing to miss him throwing the ball on top of the Northern Ireland international.
Speaking on Sky Sports Ref Watch, Gallagher said about the chances of a retrospective ban for the Arsenal player: "I think not. He's been given a yellow card for his actions. If the players leave it to the referee, he's got a different landscape to deal with. When they all pile in, he's got to check everybody else.
"I think there's not quite enough there [for it to be a red card]."
Jay Bothroyd was also on Ref Watch, and said of the incident: "Conor's obviously got a serious injury. Everyone can see that. These are the types of things that happen in a game where if I'm Conor Bradley, as much as he has come out and said sorry, I won't be forgetting that the next time we face each other.
"It's irrelevant if it's obvious or not. Yes, they are trying to win the game, I understand that. You don't put your hands on anyone on the football pitch. You don't throw the ball at people or nudge them in the back. It's not okay to come out after and say 'I'm sorry.' In that moment, he was trying to react."
It is an injury that would require surgery and rule him out for up to 12 months. His Liverpool teammate Giovanni Leoni is battling the same injury, after he suffered a torn ligament on his debut against Southampton.
Another former referee Keith Hackett also said that a ban for Martinelli was unlikely. He told Football Insider: “It was evident that the Liverpool player [Conor Bradley] was seriously injured. The actions of Martinelli were frankly disgraceful, and for me, deserved a red card.
“His actions endangered the safety of his opponent. When a player is injured, and this was serious, it is so important that trained medics assess the player quickly and determine how to deal with the injured player.
“Referee Anthony Taylor, who officiated well throughout this encounter by his prompt action of showing a quick yellow, helped to diffuse the flare-up.
“I want the authorities to review this incident with a view to upgrading Taylor’s yellow card. I do not expect the football authorities to take any further action, but I would be happy if they did.”
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