Gabriel Martinelli left the pitch after 20 minutes of action on his own power. Martinelli was harshly challenged by Brighton midfielder (and gentleman who thought he was transferring to Arsenal in January) Moises Caicedo.
Moisés Caicedo telling Gabi Martinelli “I’ll make it up to you next season with assists” pic.twitter.com/wYmP3NtgGL
— Gooner Chris (@ArsenalN7) May 14, 2023
Martinelli rolled his ankle, and perhaps manager Mikel Arteta will tell us more about the severity of the injury in post game. It doesn’t look too serious right now, as he was able to walk off to the dressing room without assistance. He was replaced by January acquisition Leandro Trossard, who thus got the opportunity to play against his former club.
Caicedo was not booked for the challenge, which may or may not have been a retaliation against Martinelli for his strong challenge on Kauro Mitoma, earlier in the game.
And when we say “strong challenge,” well that is a major euphemism. Take a look at this fierce hit.
Gabriel Martinelli just did this and didn’t even receive a card, reffing in this league is absolutely horrendous? pic.twitter.com/wkawbjqDb6
— connor? (@ConnorWhiten) May 14, 2023
Most people who saw this really believe that it should have been a booking. The refs really missed this call.
Paul M. Banks is the owner/manager of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
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