Liverpool supporters will be delighted by Dominik Szoboszlai’s reaction after Gabriel Martinelli’s “disgraceful” shove on Conor Bradley.
Dominik Szoboszlai stepped in to defend Conor Bradley after the Liverpool right-back was shoved while down injured by Gabriel Martinelli at the Emirates.
Clear-cut chances were few and far between in the Reds’ goalless draw with Arsenal, although Bradley went closer than anyone when his clever chip over David Raya rattled the crossbar in the first half.
Liverpool also felt they had a strong case for a penalty shortly after the break when Leandro Trossard collided with Florian Wirtz, but the officials judged the contact insufficient to award a spot kick.
Szoboszlai reacts to Martinelli incident
Tensions flared late in stoppage time when Bradley pulled up near the touchline. Despite the Northern Ireland international clearly in pain, Martinelli shoved him over the line in an apparent attempt to restart play so the defender could receive treatment off the pitch.
Szoboszlai, who was with Bradley at the time, immediately took issue with the shove and pushed Martinelli back, angered by what he saw as a complete lack of respect for an injured opponent. The scuffle that followed saw both Martinelli and Ibrahima Konaté booked by referee Anthony Taylor.
Szoboszlai justified in his frustration
Given Liverpool’s absentees in attack and Arsenal’s strong form coming into the game, the Reds can take encouragement from their display — particularly in the second half — as they extended their unbeaten run to 10 matches.
The evening, however, was overshadowed by Bradley’s injury. Having already endured a couple of spells on the sidelines this season, everyone connected with Liverpool will be hoping the 22-year-old hasn’t suffered anything serious.
Sky Sports pundits Gary Neville and Roy Keane were both highly critical of Martinelli’s actions, with Neville branding them “disgraceful.” Liverpool fans, meanwhile, will have appreciated Szoboszlai standing up for his teammate and refusing to let the incident slide.
Above all, the priority now is Bradley’s health — fingers crossed the coming days bring positive news.
