The bit with Bradley on the floor was one of those moments that tests a side’s temperament. You could see it building: the ball thrown at him, contact while he’s still down, then the extra shove-and-drag stuff that always looks worse when a player might actually be hurt.
In the moment, I genuinely expected it to spark. Not a mass brawl, but at least that classic little swarm where someone comes charging over to let the opponent know, in no uncertain terms, that they’re not having it. Instead, Liverpool largely kept their heads. And when you’ve got a player down near the touchline, with the bench right there, that self-control stands out even more.
Why didn’t we react?
There are two ways to read it. One is that this is simply a better-disciplined Liverpool, the sort that doesn’t hand referees an easy decision. Because the truth is: retaliation is always what gets spotted. A shove back, a grab, a bit of afters, and suddenly you’re the one walking while the instigator is acting innocent.
The other read is the one a lot of supporters feel in their bones, especially those of us who remember past Liverpool sides with a proper edge. We’ve had plenty of players over the years who would’ve made sure Martinelli knew about it, either immediately or five minutes later in a fair, hard challenge. Football’s changed, though. Cameras are everywhere, bans can be harsh, and teams are coached to protect themselves as much as to protect their teammate.
The apology helps, but it doesn’t erase it
Credit where it’s due: the quick apology afterwards matters. It doesn’t make the incident fine, and it doesn’t change how ugly it looked at the time, but it does take the sting out of the wider narrative. These things can spiral for days if nobody holds their hands up.
And fair play to Arne Slot as well. Calm, reasoned comments are never as satisfying as going full outrage, but they’re usually more useful. Managers escalating it in public rarely helps the next decision you need from an official.
Slot’s bigger point: time-wasting and “injuries”
Slot linking it to time-wasting and players going down ‘hurt’ is bang on as a wider Premier League issue. Everyone does it, and everyone hates it when it’s done to them. The current approach, where treatment can trigger a player having to leave the pitch, feels like it’s been half-solved and then immediately gamed.
You still get the rolling around, the pauses, and then the miracle recovery the second the referee signals for the physio. If the sport actually wants to cut it out, something stronger probably is needed. A forced spell off the pitch for anyone who stays down for more than a set period, like two minutes, would make players think twice. Either you’re injured and you genuinely need help, or you’re not. At the minute, it’s too easy to have it both ways.
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