Roy Keane and Gary Neville criticise Gabriel Martinelli over Liverpool incident

January 9, 2026 Oliver Obel

The final whistle at the Emirates Stadium was met with a muted response, but the moment that stayed with viewers came after play had already slowed to a halt.

Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool kept Mikel Arteta’s side top of the Premier League, yet the result felt like a missed opening. Manchester City had dropped points the previous night, and Liverpool arrived in north London carrying a long injury list. Despite the stakes, neither side managed to turn control into goals.

Late in the match, attention shifted away from the scoreline. Liverpool defender Conor Bradley went down unchallenged and remained on the turf, clearly in discomfort as teammates and medical staff reacted.

As play paused, Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli attempted to move Bradley toward the touchline, seemingly eager for the game to restart. According to Sky Sports’ live broadcast, Martinelli then threw the ball in Bradley’s direction while the defender was still receiving attention.

The incident drew an immediate reaction on commentary and quickly spread online, with clips shared widely and criticised by fans watching at home.

Gary Neville, speaking on Sky Sports, condemned Martinelli’s actions as replays were shown. “You can't push him off the pitch. You cannot do that. You idiot,” he said, adding that the situation merited a stronger response from Liverpool’s players and that “an apology is needed.”

Neville’s frustration did not ease as the footage continued. “Oh he's thrown the ball at him as well. It's no good,” he said, later admitting he was “actually fuming” with the Arsenal forward.

In the Sky Sports studio, Roy Keane supported that assessment. Drawing on his own playing experience, Keane said players usually recognise when an opponent is genuinely injured and criticised Martinelli for ignoring that reality.

“That behaviour is a disgrace,” Keane said. “Not good scenes.” He added that Martinelli should apologise for the episode.

What had been a cagey, low-scoring contest was ultimately remembered for that brief exchange, underlining how questions of sportsmanship can quickly overshadow results in high-profile Premier League matches.

Sources: Sky Sports