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Roy Keane blasts ‘disgraceful’ Arsenal star after Liverpool draw | Football
Roy Keane branded Gabriel Martinelli ‘disgraceful’ after he was involved in a controversial moment during Arsenal’s Premier League draw with Liverpool.
At the end of an intriguing but goalless clash at the Emirates Stadium, Martinelli angered the Liverpool players by trying to push an injured Conor Bradley off the pitch.
Martinelli seemingly thought Bradley was trying to waste time as the game is not able to continue while a player receives medical treatment on the pitch.
But Bradley’s injury looks serious as he not only could not carry on but had to be stretchered off the pitch with a worrying issue.
As well as trying to usher Bradley off the pitch, Martinelli also threw the ball at his injured opponent and appeared to make contact with him while standing over him.
‘I didn’t like it, I didn’t like it at all,’ ex-Manchester United captain Keane said on Sky Sports after Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool.
‘It happened to me before. I was injured and someone tried to get me off the pitch. It’s not good.
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‘Throwing the ball on him, standing over him and pushing him off the pitch. I’m actually surprised the Liverpool players didn’t go after him more.
‘Than behaviour is a disgrace. He’s a boy that rolls over himself. Hopefully he takes a look and apologises.
‘You don’t know the injury he’s got and you’re pushing him off the pitch? It’s not good.’
Ex-England and Liverpool striker Daniel Sturridge added: ‘It’s disappointing to see to be honest.
‘There’s passion and being a winner and wanting to help your team but you need to be respectful.
‘I’ve had injuries and it’s never nice. He thinks he’s time-wasting but you need to be self-aware. It’s just disrespectful, even worse than disrespectful actually.’
Keane’s former Manchester United teammate Gary Neville was on commentary duty during the game and was left ‘fuming’ by Martinelli, branding him an ‘idiot’.
‘You can’t push him off the pitch,’ Neville said. ‘You cannot do that.
‘That is so poor. I think an apology is needed. Bradley is being stretchered off. I’m fuming with Martinelli to be honest. Disgraceful.
‘Honestly, I don’t know how the Liverpool players didn’t go over there and whack him, to be honest with you and take a red card. Absolutely disgraceful, that.’
Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai was asked about Martinelli in his post-match interview.
‘I saw that Conor twisted his knee, I don’t know what happened with him, obviously he didn’t want to come back to the pitch for time-wasting, he was just in so much pain,’ he said.
‘He couldn’t even think where he rolled and Gabriel comes there and pushes him off the pitch.
‘I understand you want to win, we want to win as well, but I think the health of a player is much more important than something else.’
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, defended his under-fire player, saying: ‘Probably he doesn’t know because knowing Gabi, there is zero intention.
‘I don’t know what happened to Conor, but hopefully it’s not bad, but obviously, there is no intention from Gabi to do anything bad to him.’
While Arsenal were unable to take full advantage of title rivals Manchester City dropping points last night, they still extended their lead at the top of the Premier League to six points.
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