- Christian Norgaard was booked for a foul on Gabriel Martinelli at the Emirates
- But the Arsenal winger thinks the Brentford midfielder should have seen red
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Gabriel Martinelli has hit out at a ‘nasty’ tackle from Christian Norgaard that he claims ‘could have broke my leg’, after the Brentford midfielder escaped a red card during Arsenal‘s 1-1 draw at the Emirates.
Martinelli was on the receiving end of a lunging first-half challenge from Brentford captain Norgaard at the Emirates Stadium, one that sparked fury from the home crowd and an angry response from Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta.
Referee Simon Hooper issued a yellow card to Norgaard and VAR declined to upgrade the punishment – a decision that left Arsenal’s players and coaching staff incensed.
Speaking to Sky Sports after the match, Martinelli did not hold back.
‘I didn’t see that again but in the moment, if my foot was on the floor, he could break my leg,’ the Brazilian said.
‘He [Norgaard] said he didn’t mean it. I believe him but still he could have broke my leg. For me it was red. I need to see it again to be sure. But for me it was nasty.’
Brentford’s Christian Norgaard (left) was booked for this foul on Arsenal’s Gabriel Martinelli
Martinelli later described the foul as ‘nasty’ and claimed it should have resulted in a red card
Arteta, when asked for his thoughts on the tackle, simply replied: ‘My reaction says everything.’
The Arsenal manager had remonstrated angrily with the fourth official and the Brentford bench at the time of the incident.
But Brentford boss Thomas Frank dismissed the idea that the tackle warranted a red card, saying: ‘That’s his opinion. I thought it was a strong yellow.’
Meanwhile, Sky Sports pundit Jamie Redknapp admitted the tackle was dangerous and reminiscent of one that had previously left him needing surgery – but still didn’t believe it merited a sending off.
‘Very rarely do you see a red card for this but it’s not a great tackle and one that can hurt players,’ said Redknapp.
‘I got a very bad injury for someone doing that exact same tackle on me as you can get your leg caught and twist your knee…
‘It’s a nasty tackle. An old-fashioned tackle. Some tackles have been eradicated out of the game but that one hasn’t gone to a red card yet.
Mikel Arteta reacted angrily on the sidelines after Norgaard escaped with only a yellow card
Martinelli appeared to be in pain after the foul but he was able to complete the full 90 minutes
‘He’s not a nasty player. To call it a red card or a nasty tackle, I don’t see it as that. But Martinelli is lucky as it could be a six-months injury with ones like that.’
The flashpoint overshadowed what was otherwise a fairly flat London derby, with Yoane Wissa’s second-half equaliser cancelling out Thomas Partey’s opener to leave Arsenal ten points behind leaders Liverpool in the Premier League title race.
Arteta made five changes to the side that thumped Real Madrid 3-0 in midweek, with stars like Bukayo Saka and Martin Odegaard benched ahead of next week’s second leg in Spain.
The rotated side struggled to create clear chances, and Saka’s late effort that flashed wide was the closest the Gunners came to stealing victory.
