Liverpool head coach Arne Slot fears Conor Bradley faces a serious lay-off after a late knee injury against Arsenal, while the match also sparked debate over Gabriel Martinelli’s conduct and highlighted Liverpool’s ongoing problems in attack, as the team failed to record a single shot on target at Anfield.
The goalless Premier League draw with Arsenal ended with Bradley leaving the pitch on a stretcher during second-half stoppage time, and the incident, plus Liverpool’s attacking struggles against a deep defensive line, left Slot analysing both the physical cost to the squad and the tactical issues that remain unsolved.
Television replays showed Bradley landing awkwardly on the left knee while challenging Gabriel Martinelli for a loose ball near
the touchline in stoppage time, before medical staff called for a stretcher, and a confrontation followed when Martinelli tried to push Bradley off the pitch so Arsenal could restart play quickly.
Roy Keane and Gary Neville both condemned Martinelli’s behaviour on Sky Sports, with Neville saying: "You can't push him off the pitch! You cannot do that. That is so poor. I think an apology is needed. Bradley is being stretchered off. I'm fuming with Martinelli to be honest. Disgraceful. "
Keane was equally critical of the Arsenal forward’s actions, stating: "It's not good. We know football, the player is a good lad. Throwing the ball at him, standing over him and getting a little knee on him. He tries to force him off. That behaviour is an absolute disgrace. He's a good boy to roll over himself. Hopefully, Martinelli will have a look at it and hopefully, he'll apologise for it. Not good stuff that. "
Slot offered a contrasting response in his press conference, choosing to defend Martinelli’s intent despite the tension during the incident, and pointed instead to a wider problem within football regarding time-wasting, player reactions and pressure moments late in tight Premier League matches such as Liverpool against Arsenal.
Slot said: "I don't know Martinelli, but he comes across as a nice guy. I think the problem for himand it's a problem in general in footballis that there is so much time-wasting and players pretending that they are injured in the final parts of the game and during the game, that you can sometimes be annoyed if you want to try to score a goal that you think the player is time-wasting. You cannot ask Martinelli to think so clearly in the 94th minute. "
Liverpool concern over Conor Bradley injury and fitness record
Despite defending Martinelli, Slot made clear that Liverpool expect bad news on Bradley’s condition after the defender’s latest setback, which came after a run of just 15 Premier League appearances this season and followed earlier issues with hamstring and muscle injuries that already disrupted Bradley’s campaign.
Speaking to Sky Sports, Slot said: "I fear the worst for Conor Bradley," before highlighting Liverpool’s concerns whenever a player needs lengthy treatment. Slot added: "I think if a player of us is on the floor, people might know by now 100 out of 100 times there's something wrong with the player. You don't like to see a player being moved if he might have an injury. "
Bradley’s physical problems stretch beyond this season, as the defender also dealt with hamstring and muscle complaints last year, and then suffered ankle and back issues during the 2023-24 campaign, leaving Liverpool facing another unwanted test of their squad depth in the full-back positions.
Liverpool attacking struggles against Arsenal in Premier League draw
While Liverpool protected their clean sheet against Arsenal’s attack, the home side created little at the other end, and the team failed to hit the target once, marking Liverpool’s first Premier League match without a shot on goal since March 2010, when Wigan Athletic restricted Liverpool in similar fashion.
Slot was not shocked by the lack of clear chances against Arsenal, pointing out that Liverpool have repeatedly found it hard to unlock compact defences, especially when facing a structured low block that denies space behind the back line and forces slow passing phases in central and wide areas.
Slot told Sky Sports: "I've said 150 times already that against certain playing styles, we're a very good team, and against certain playing styles we struggle. Maybe you could even see that today, although people are now positive we kept the ball so long, but even against the low block of Arsenal we struggled to create chances. So that is something we would like to do better. That's one of the reasons we're so many points behind them. "
We are a team, we are friends but most importantly we are a family. pic.twitter.com/wyDQ6Z5fcuLiverpool FC (@LFC) January 9, 2026
We are a team, we are friends but most importantly we are a family. pic.twitter.com/wyDQ6Z5fcuLiverpool FC (@LFC) January 9, 2026
The draw with Arsenal leaves Liverpool counting the potential long-term loss of Bradley, reviewing the fierce debate around Martinelli’s reaction, and again examining why the attack stalled, as Slot underlined both the medical concern for the defender and a clear need to improve against defensive Premier League opponents.
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