I would have chinned Gabriel Martinelli if I were one of Conor Bradley’s Liverpool team-mates

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Headline: I would have chinned Gabriel Martinelli if I were one of Conor Bradley’s Liverpool team-mates

The article is a strongly worded opinion piece responding to Gabriel Martinelli’s treatment of Liverpool defender Conor Bradley during Arsenal’s 0-0 draw with Liverpool. The writer focuses on the incident in which Martinelli, frustrated at a stoppage in play, shoved the already-injured Bradley off the pitch and then dropped the ball onto him as he lay in clear distress.

The author argues that Martinelli’s behaviour crossed a basic line of respect between professionals, stressing that players may try to gain marginal advantages but should never physically manhandle an obviously injured opponent. The columnist says that if they had been one of Bradley’s Liverpool team-mates, they would have “chinned” – i.e. physically confronted or even punched – Martinelli for his actions, suggesting that Arsenal’s winger got off lightly on the pitch.

The piece is critical of the referee’s response, highlighting that Martinelli received only a yellow card when, in the writer’s view, the incident merited far stronger punishment. The columnist also notes the anger among Liverpool players and supporters, and frames the affair as emblematic of a creeping lack of sportsmanship in the modern game, where time‑wasting and feigning injury have made some players too ready to assume opponents are acting.

While acknowledging Martinelli’s subsequent apology to Bradley, the writer questions how a top‑level professional could fail to recognise the seriousness of the injury in real time. The article closes by insisting that competitive edge can never justify contempt for an injured player, and that stronger on‑field and disciplinary reactions are needed to deter similar flashpoints in future.