Conor Bradley in action for Liverpoolplaceholder image
Conor Bradley in action for Liverpool | Getty Images
Portsmouth fans seemingly reacted to the incident involving Conor Bradley and Gabriel Martinelli when they faced Arsenal in the FA Cup
Liverpool and Conor Bradley seemingly had the backing of Portsmouth fans on Sunday when Arsenal travelled to Fratton Park for their FA Cup clash.
The Pompey faithful appeared to react to the recent incident involving Bradley and Gabriel Martinelli during Liverpool’s meeting with the Gunners in the Premier League last time out.
Martinelli came under fire after he tried to push the Northern Ireland international off the pitch while he was on the ground injured. Bradley suffered a non-contact injury during stoppage time of Liverpool’s 0-0 draw with Arsenal and was eventually stretchered off the pitch and replaced by Joe Gomez.
Martinelli had been looking to restart play and went to take Arsenal’s throw-in before dropping the ball on top of Bradley. The Brazilian then pushed the right-back with both hands as he tried to move him off the pitch.
Portsmouth fans seemingly show support for Conor Bradley
Arsenal secured their place in the next round of the FA Cup with a 4-1 win over Portsmouth, and Martinelli was the star of the show. The winger produced a hat-trick performance against the Championship side but the home fans still took the opportunity to make their feelings known.
Martinelli was booed almost every time he touched the ball during the clash at Fratton Park, which seemed to be a direct response to his actions at the Emirates just three days prior.
Bradley has suffered ‘bone and ligament damage’, which has cast doubt over whether he will be fit for the World Cup, should Northern Ireland qualify for the finals this summer.
Martinelli has apologised to Bradley and revealed on Instagram that he has been in contact with the Liverpool full-back as he begins his recovery.
“Conor and I have messaged and I have already apologised to him,” the 24-year-old 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.”
Arne Slot’s response to Gabriel Martinelli incident praised
Mikel Arteta has praised Arne Slot’s public response to Martinelli incident at the Emirates. The Liverpool manager said in an interview that the Arsenal forward ‘comes across as a nice guy’ and he didn’t believe he would have reacted in such a manner if he knew the severity of Bradley’s injury.
In his own interview, Arteta responded: “It's part of football and then it's how you take it. But he knew inside the reason why he did what he did.
“I think Arne Slot spoke brilliantly after the game, speaking of your opponent in the manner that he explained the situation and the fact that Gabi had no intention whatsoever to damage any player. And yeah, that's personality. Come in and talk on the pitch, which is the best part of it.”
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