Arne Port and Mikel Arteta have actually safeguarded Gabriel Martinelli after the Toolbox ahead stimulated an altercation by attempting to roll a damaged Conor Bradley off the pitch– yet Dominik Szoboszlai, Roy Keane and Daniel Sturridge were extra essential over the debatable case.
Recognizing triumph would certainly relocate the leaders 8 factors clear, Martinelli attempted to press the susceptible Reds protector off the pitch prior to the North Ireland captain was stretchered off with a knee issue.
” I do not recognize Gabriel Martinelli yet he stumbles upon as a wonderful individual,” Port stated prior to asserting dishonesty is harming the video game.
” The issue for him– and it’s a trouble as a whole in football– is that there is a lot time-wasting and gamers claiming they are wounded in the last component of video games that you can in some cases be irritated, if you intend to rack up an objective, [when] you believe that a gamer is time-wasting.
” Football, time-wasting, diving has actually pertained to the circumstance where gamers believe, in the 94th min, that that has actually occurred once again– due to the fact that I have actually seen it take place versus us a lot of times this period that I can recognize Martinelli may have assumed this was time-wasting too.”
” I really hope Martinelli has actually entered into the clothing space and apologised”
Gary Neville wishes Gabriel Martinelli will certainly have apologised to Connor Bradley. pic.twitter.com/ZDPQKXAij0
— Skies Sports Premier Organization (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2026
Gabriel Martinelli: ‘No intent’ over Conor Bradley
Arteta, whose side are 6 factors over Manchester City and Aston Vacation home after 21 video games of the period, stated Martinelli “most likely really did not recognize” the degree of the damages to Bradley, that was changed by Joe Gomez.
” Recognizing Gabi, it’s not deliberate,” Arteta informed Skies Sports. “I do not recognize what took place to Conor– with any luck it’s absolutely nothing poor– yet there’s no intent from Gabi to do anything poor to him.”
Previous Reds striker Sturridge was much less flexible. “I can see that possibly [Martinelli’s] reasoning [Bradley’s] time-wasting, yet you have actually reached be independent adequate to recognize ‘alright, trendy– the individual’s down’. It’s simply rude– most likely also worse than rude.”
Seven-time Premier Organization champion Keane defined Martinelli’s practices as “bad things”. “You might inform [Bradley] was wounded,” included the Manchester United tale.
” He’s not the sort of youngster to[over-react] If you’re towering above him, you do not recognize the injury the gamer’s obtained. It looked rather poor [and] he’s attempting to place him off the pitch.”
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 8, 2026
Toolbox vs Liverpool: Bradley injury ‘a lot discomfort’
Szoboszlai stressed that Bradley had actually not been attempting to remain down on the pitch to reduce the video game down with Liverpool closing know a draw lots of had actually not anticipated them to acquire versus challengers 14 factors over them.
” I saw that Conor turned his knee,” stated the Hungary playmaker. “He simply had a lot discomfort that he could not also believe where he rolled.
” I recognize [Martinelli] intends to win– we intend to win too– yet the health and wellness of a gamer is far more essential.”
Port called Leeds United as one of the groups to have actually evaluated the limits of the guidelines versus them and implicated West Pork’s Lucas Paqueta of “attempting whatever” to gain a 2nd reservation for among his gamers.
” I can not ask Gabriel Martinelli– in the 94th min, when it’s so psychological– to recognize that he plays [against] Liverpool,” he recommended, describing exactly how his team play relatively.
” You can not anticipate, from Martinelli, that he assumes so plainly in the 94th min. I’m 100% certain that, if he recognized what the injury could be, he would certainly never ever do that.
” Yet it does not look wonderful if [Bradley] has the injury we fear he may have, if you need to go off on a cot. We need to wait on the scans. Perhaps he can use Monday [at home to Barnsley in the FA Cup]– allowed’s hope so.”
Liverpool so near to taking the lead!
Conor Bradley’s initiative accidents versus the bar! pic.twitter.com/ylmgvHplPs
— Skies Sports Premier Organization (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2026
Toolbox vs Liverpool: Premier Organization standoff
Seeing full-back Conor Bradley went closest to damaging the predicament in stunning design, capturing versus the bar from range throughout the initial fifty percent after Artillerymans goalkeeper David Raya fulfilled a hurried backpass from William Saliba by playing the round right to him.
Liverpool took even more of the energy after the reactivate, having a charge allure disregarded by a Video clip Aide Umpire look for Leandro Trossard’s difficulty on Florian Wirtz.
Toolbox are following at work at second-tier Portsmouth in the FA Mug 3rd round on Sunday (14:00 GMT). Liverpool host the third-tier Youngsters at the exact same phase of the competitors the complying with day (19:45).
You can experience 101GreatGoals. com’s real-time updates from Toolbox vs Liverpool in the Premier Organization right here.
Toolbox group vs Liverpool
Winger Max Dowman and protector Cristhian Mosquera (both ankle joint) continued to be out for Toolbox, as did full-back Riccardo Calafiori with an undefined concern.
Ahead Kai Havertz had actually been neglected of the 3-2 win at Bournemouth 4 days previously for tons monitoring objectives yet began this time around, as did Bukayo Saka.
Gabriel Martinelli and Noni Madueke relocated to the bench.
Toolbox beginning XI: David Raya, Jurrien Lumber, William Saliba, Gabriel Magalhaes, Piero Hincapie, Martin Odegaard, Martín Zubimendi, Declan Rice, Bukayo Saka, Viktor Gyokeres, Leandro Trossard
Arsenal alternatives: Kepa Arrizabalaga, Ben White, Gabriel Jesus, Eberechi Eze, Gabriel Martinelli, Christian Norgaard, Noni Madueke, Mikel Merino, Myles Lewis-Skelly
Not to be this time around for Dominik Szoboszlai! ❌ pic.twitter.com/IT3LgS2kbY
— Skies Sports Premier Organization (@SkySportsPL) January 8, 2026
Liverpool group vs Toolbox
Jeremie Frimpong changed Curtis Jones for Liverpool. Midfielder Wataru Endo was wounded and demonstrator Alexander Isak had a busted leg.
Protector Giovanni Leoni had a long-lasting knee injury and ahead Mohamed Salah went to the 2025 Africa Mug of Nations with Egypt.
Liverpool beginning XI: Alisson Becker, Conor Bradley, Ibrahima Konate, Virgil van Dijk, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong, Ryan Gravenberch, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Florian Wirtz, Cody Gakpo
Liverpool alternatives: Giorgi Mamardashvili, Joe Gomez, Federico Chiesa, Curtis Jones, Andy Robertson, Freddie Woodman, Trey Nyoni, Calvin Ramsay, Rio Ngumoha
Toolbox vs Liverpool statistics
- Toolbox had actually won their previous 2 home Premier Organization matches versus the ruling champs, defeating City in both 2023/24 and 2024/25
- They stopped working to attain the accomplishment in 3 successive organization periods, as they had actually done in between 1961/62 and 1963/64, when they defeat Spurs, Ipswich and Everton
- Bukayo Saka lost out on ending up being the initial Toolbox gamer to racked up in 4 successive home video games versus the Reds
- Toolbox maintained a tidy sheet for the very first time in 21 Premier Organization video games versus Liverpool and the very first time considering that a 0-0 reel in August 2015
- Just versus Male Utd (30 in between 1953 and 1968) and Tottenham (24 in between 1955 and 1967) had they had a much longer run without a tidy sheet in their organization background
- This was the first-ever Premier Organization video game in between Toolbox and Liverpool on a Thursday, with their last Thursday organization conference coming with Anfield in December 1947 (3-1 win for Toolbox)
- Liverpool are the junior varsity Toolbox have actually encountered on all 7 days of the week in the Premier Organization after Southampton
- Toolbox had actually won their previous 7 home Premier Organization matches– just when under Mikel Arteta had they had a much longer home organization winning run, winning 10 back to back in between April and December 2022
- Versus no side have Toolbox shed extra Premier Organization video games than they have versus Liverpool (26, degree with Manchester United)
- Liverpool lost out on finishing the Premier Organization fold Toolbox for the 8th time, and initially considering that 2021/22. Their 7 ‘increases’ is one of the most any kind of side has versus the Gunners in the competitors