He did not brand Martinelli as cynical, dirty or disrespectful or even pretend to know his character, but gave him the benefit of the doubt.
Slot said: “I don’t know Gabriel Martinelli but he comes across as a nice guy. I think the problem for him is – and that’s the problem in general in football – is that there is so much time-wasting and players pretending they are injured in the final parts of the game or during the game that you can then sometimes be annoyed if you want to score a goal that you think that player is time-wasting.”
It was classic de-escalation, explaining the white-hot conditions that prompted Martinelli’s reaction.
But Slot went further, explaining why incidents like this happen in the first place, and why it’s understandable to react the way Martinelli did.
He added: ““You cannot expect from Martinelli that he thinks so clear in the 94th minute. I am 100 per cent sure if he knew what the injury might be that he would never do that.
“But football, time-wasting, diving has come to the situation that players think in the 94th minute that probably that is happening again.”
That calm approach immediately silenced angry fans somewhat and took the sting out of a story that could have created a greater scandal – at the detriment of Liverpool’s on-field rivals.
Slot then protected his own brand and his club’s identity without using it as a weapon, reminding players and fans that, essentially, Liverpool aren’t a side who roll around to kill time. It was a neat way of praising your own standards without accusing the opponent of lacking them.
Liverpool’s dressing room had every reason to be furious, because the optics were grim and the injury was serious.
Slot still refused to outsource his leadership to social media sentiment, keeping the focus where it belonged, on player welfare and facts. “I don’t know yet but it didn’t look great if you have to go off on a stretcher,” he said, before pointing to scans and uncertainty rather than speculation.
Liverpool later confirmed that Bradley sustained a “significant knee injury” and would undergo surgery, with no timeframe placed on his return at that point.
Martinelli, to his credit, did the next sensible comms step – he apologised quickly, publicly and directly.
In an Instagram post he wrote: “Conor and I have messaged and I have already apologised to him. 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.”
Martinelli’s statement acknowledged the misunderstanding rather than make excuses and it centres the injured player.
The key phrase is “in the heat of the moment” – not as a get-out clause, but as a context marker that aligns with Slot’s framing of late-game emotional decision-making.
Mikel Arteta’s defence of Martinelli also mirrored the same principle – assume human error before assuming harm. Arteta said: “Knowing Gabi, he’s an incredible, lovely guy, and he probably didn’t realise what happened.
“I hope that Conor is well, I will have a word with him to understand that. Probably (Martinelli) didn’t recognise what happened.”
That line “probably didn’t realise” lets the story end. Without it, everyone is trapped: Arsenal can’t apologise without admitting intent, Liverpool can’t move on without looking weak, and the discourse spirals. With it, both clubs can step away without losing face.
Pundit Gary Neville was less measured, predictably. He described Martinelli’s actions in blunt terms, saying: “You can't push him off the pitch! I am surprised one of the Liverpool players have not gone over and had a right pop at him. I think an apology is needed.
“He's thrown the ball at him as well. That is no good. I am actually fuming with Martinelli. I don't know how the Liverpool players didn't go over and absolutely whack him to be honest with you and take a red card. Absolutely disgraceful, that.”
Daniel Sturridge took a similar line on the need for player-to-player respect when someone is down injured. Those reactions are understandable television – but they also illustrate why Slot’s approach is so valuable.
Pundit outrage is designed to extend the conversation and gain clicks, while a manager’s job is usually the opposite: protect players, protect relationships, and keep the next week from being swallowed by yesterday’s clip.