Arsenal suffered a setback on Friday night as they threw away two vital points, and Gary Neville was not happy with what he saw from Gabriel Martinelli.
The Arsenal No.11 got his side back in the game with a thumping effort to make it 2-1 in the 20th minute.
However, it was an incident in the 37th minute which upset Neville.
What’s the story?
Well, Martinelli was responsible for Jan Bednarek coming off the pitch injured after backing into the Poland international as he went up for a header.
The Southampton No.35 landed awkwardly on his neck, leaving Neville – who was commentating on the game for Sky Sports – to say: “It’s disappointing to see that from Martinelli. I don’t like those falls.”
Simon Hooper decided not to hand the £6m Brazil international a yellow card for the incident.
Bednarek was insistent on returning to action, but he quite literally had to be dragged away by the medical staff as Duje Ćaleta-Car entered the fray in his place.
Arsenal & Martinelli not the only offenders
We believe Neville was right to call Martinelli out for what happened, but the 48-year-old and others should stay consistent when others commit similar fouls.
For example, Harry Kane has done something like this on a number of occasions, with most commentators describing it as a clever use of his body rather than dangerous play.
Sooner or later, a footballer will break their neck or back if players continue to nudge them while they leap for a header.
Referees do need to clamp down on it a bit more, or the Football Association run the risk of a very serious injury occurring.
Hopefully, Bednarek is not feeling any lasting effects today, and he can return to action for Southampton in their next Premier League outing against Bournemouth on Thursday.
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