Gabriel Martinelli reveals Conor Bradley conversation as Arne Slot drops worrying injury suggestion

Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has broken his silence on the incident that saw him push an injured Conor Bradley in Thursday's 0-0 Premier League draw with Liverpool.

The Gunners missed the chance to capitalise on Manchester City's dropped points against Brighton & Hove Albion at the Emirates, where the stalemate was overshadowed by Martinelli's stoppage-time actions.

Bradley awkwardly twisted his knee as he chased after a long ball, and the Northern Ireland international immediately fell to the turf in agony, before Martinelli needlessly dropped the ball on him.

The Liverpool man then appeared to drag himself further onto the pitch in an effort to delay the restart - an action that enraged Martinelli, who proceeded to shove him beyond the sideline.

Reds players and physios understandably reacted furiously to the incident, which saw Martinelli yellow-carded by Anthony Taylor, while Gary Neville labelled the "idiotic" Brazilian a "disgrace" on Sky Sports commentary.

Gabriel Martinelli issues apology for Conor Bradley incident

"I hope Martinelli has gone into the dressing room and apologised"

Gary Neville hopes Gabriel Martinelli will have apologised to Connor Bradley. pic.twitter.com/ZDPQKXAij0
— Sky Sports Premier League (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2026

Both Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot defended Martinelli after the game, the latter expressing his view that the attacker is a "nice guy" who may have naturally assumed that Bradley was trying to time-waste given the circumstances.

However, the right-back was stretchered off and left the stadium on crutches, suggesting that he has picked up a serious problem, and Martinelli issued an apology on social media after revealing that he had spoken with his Reds counterpart.

"Conor and I have messaged and I've already apologised to him," Martinelli 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," followed by a hands in prayer position emoji.

Bradley's fledgling Liverpool career has already been hampered by a number of fitness problems; he has already missed 58 matches for the reigning Premier League champions in all tournaments, including eight in the current campaign.

Arne Slot delivers immediate update on Conor Bradley injury

Gabriel Martinelli’s apology to Conor Bradley pic.twitter.com/WpSwlNJZCp
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) January 9, 2026

The 22-year-old has struggled with muscle and hamstring injuries in recent years, although the action of his knee on Thursday raised concern about a potentially season-ending issue - specifically an ACL injury.

Slot suggested he was fearful of such a diagnosis in his post-game press conference, but he also expressed hope that the issue was just a scare and that the defender would make a speedy recovery.

"I don't know yet but it didn't look great if you have to go off on a stretcher," Slot said. "When we see the video, we both think probably the same but we have to wait on the scans if it's that bad. Or maybe he can play on Monday - let's hope so."

Liverpool have three full days to recover before their FA Cup third-round clash with Barnsley on Monday night, which precedes next Saturday's Premier League visit of Burnley.

As for Arsenal - who remain six points clear of Manchester City and Aston Villa at the Premier League summit - the Gunners head to Portsmouth for Sunday's cup tie, in which Martinelli will likely return to the starting lineup.