GABRIEL MARTINELLI ISSUES EMOTIONAL PUBLIC APOLOGY TO LIVERPOOL’S CONOR BRADLEY
Gabriel Martinelli issues an apology to Conor Bradley after their heated clash. See the reactions from Gary Neville and Roy Keane.
Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli has apologised to Conor Bradley after a heated moment on the pitch. During the match, Martinelli threw the ball at Bradley and tried to pull him off the field, even though Bradley was clearly hurt.
Liverpool’s players were furious right away. They saw something was wrong with Bradley and rushed over, turning the whole thing into a bit of a mess. The referee handed out yellow cards to both Martinelli and Ibrahima Konate. Turns out, Bradley had a nasty-looking knee injury at the end of the match at the Emirates.
On TV, Gary Neville didn’t hold back. “I’m fuming with Martinelli,” he said. “I honestly don’t know how the Liverpool players didn’t just go after him.” Roy Keane agreed. “I didn’t like it at all,” Keane said. “It happened to me once—bad injury, another player standing over me. It’s just not on. Martinelli’s a good lad, but throwing the ball at someone, standing over him, getting a knee in, and trying to force him off…that’s an absolute disgrace. Hopefully, he’ll take a look at it and apologise.”
Martinelli did just that. He posted an apology on Instagram and said he’d already messaged Bradley. “I really didn’t realise he was seriously hurt in that moment,” Martinelli wrote. “I’m deeply sorry for reacting like that. Sending Conor all my best for a quick recovery.”
Liverpool manager Arne Slot didn’t slam Martinelli, though. He figured Martinelli probably thought Bradley was wasting time. “I don’t know Gabriel Martinelli personally, but he seems like a nice guy,” Slot said. “The problem is, there’s so much time-wasting in football these days. In the last moments of a tight game, tempers are high, and players get annoyed, thinking the other team is just trying to run down the clock.”
Slot added, “I’m sure if Martinelli knew how bad the injury was, he’d never have done it. But because of all the diving and time-wasting we’ve seen, it’s easy to jump to conclusions in the heat of the moment. I get why he thought it was just time-wasting and didn’t realise it was Liverpool.”
After all that, Bradley had to leave the stadium on crutches, clearly in pain, with his knee in a brace.
ODEGAARD TO UNITED? ARSENAL CAPTAIN REPORTEDLY OPEN TO SHOCK MANCHESTER UNITED SUMMER TRANSFER
Discover why Martin Odegaard is linked to Manchester United and the "broken promises" behind his Arsenal exit.
Arsenal captain Martin Odegaard is facing calls to leave the club after fresh rumours linked him with a move to Manchester United.
Odegaard has been a key player for Arsenal in recent seasons, but this year, things just haven’t clicked. Injuries have thrown him off course, and even when he’s played, he hasn’t looked like his usual self. Now there’s real competition in the squad too, especially with the arrival of Eberechi Eze, who cost the club over £67 million.
Lately, reports have been swirling that Odegaard isn’t happy at Arsenal. FC Barcelona and Bayern Munich are both said to be interested, and talk of a transfer is only heating up.
Earlier this month, Topskills Sports UK claimed that Odegaard told his agent to start talks with Manchester United. According to them, he feels let down by Arsenal’s board and coaching staff, and sources say there’s been tension between him and Mikel Arteta. The report even said Odegaard is “100% willing to leave the club.” Bayern Munich still wants him badly, but Odegaard’s first choice is to stay in the Premier League. It would take something special to lure him to Germany over United.
Now, pundits Steve Nicol and Frank Leboeuf have weighed in, both saying they think it’s time for Odegaard to move on, especially with Eze coming in and Odegaard’s own form dipping.
“Odegaard might be leaving Arsenal,” Nicol told ESPN. “If you’re Odegaard, the club captain, and just 18 months ago you were the main man, suddenly there are doubts about whether you even start because of Eze. And with the way he’s been playing, someone else could leapfrog him, too. So if you’re Martin Odegaard, do you stick around? I don’t think you do.”
Leboeuf agreed: “I’ve always liked Odegaard’s style; he’s elegant, but he’s not as influential anymore. He helps start the play and move the ball sideways, but Eze brings something different. He’s more direct, more influential, and he’ll help Gyokeres as well. It’s going to be tough for Odegaard, and he’s got a big decision to make at the end of the season.”
ARSENAL RULE LONDON: EZE AND GYöKERES SHINE AS GUNNERS DISMANTLE SPURS AT THE LANE
Arsenal dominate the derby! Discover how Eze and Gyökeres fueled a 4-1 win while Spurs sank further into a relegation battle.
For a little while before today’s North London Derby at home between Tottenham and Arsenal, there was some hope. Igor Tudor stepped in for his first match as interim head coach, Dele Alli showed up as a halftime guest, and you could almost believe Spurs might turn their whole season around and spoil Arsenal’s, all in one afternoon.
But that didn’t happen. Arsenal walked away with the win, thanks to two goals each from Eberechi Eze, who, remember, rejected Spurs to join Arsenal, and Victor Gyokeres, their misfiring Swedish striker. Randal Kolo Muani managed to tie things up in the first half just two minutes after Eze’s opener, and he even put the ball in the net again, only for the ref to rule it out after Gabriel Magalhaes hit the turf a bit too dramatically. Richarlison came off the bench in the second half and nearly scored with a clever flick, but David Raya somehow kept it out. Then, in extra time, Gyokeres slammed in another, and Arsenal left with a 4-1 win.
Honestly, Arsenal controlled the match from the start. They had the ball, the stats – everything. Spurs fans can’t help but feel gutted. The team’s stuck in a real relegation fight now, and they need every single point they can scrape together. Losing to Arsenal always stings, but this one? It hurts even more than usual.
That finality you get from moments like Didier Drogba’s penalty after extra time in the 2012 Champions League Final – it’s almost too much. If you really want to understand the pressure and weight of that moment, you’ve got to dig into all the tangled histories leading up to it.
Back to today: Tudor set Spurs up with his usual back three, but he had to improvise. Joao Palhinha and Radu Dragusin lined up next to Micky van de Ven, since Cristian Romero was suspended and Kevin Danso was out hurt. Honestly, Spurs didn’t look that different from how they played under Thomas Frank for most of this season, but there was a bit more energy, a little more purpose, at least at the start. That edge, the one they’ve been missing for months, showed up for a bit, but it just wasn’t enough.
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