Gabriel Martinelli claims he could’ve suffered a ‘broken leg’ ahead of Arsenal’s clash at Real Madrid after a challenge from Christian Norgaard.
The incident occurred in the first half of Arsenal’s 1-1 Premier League draw against Brentford on Saturday, which left Mikel Arteta absolutely furious.
Martinelli was chopped down by Norgaard in a flying scissor challenge from the Brentford captain but the Dane was only shown a yellow card.
Arsenal manager Arteta was left angry at the decision – protesting towards the fourth official – with the Spaniard adamant that it should’ve been a red.
The challenge was checked by the Video Assistant Referee (VAR), who ruled that the yellow card from referee Simon Hooper was sufficient.
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Martinelli, though, believes he could have been seriously hurt as he expressed his frustration in a post-match interview with Sky Sports.
‘I didn’t see [it] 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 [card]. I need to see it again to be sure. But for me it was nasty.’
Arsenal boss Arteta provided a coy response when asked about the challenge post-match as the Spaniard said: ‘My reaction says everything.’
Brentford boss Thomas Frank, meanwhile, added: ‘That’s his (Martinelli’s) opinion. I thought it was a strong yellow.’
Football pundit Jamie Redknapp said: ‘Very rarely do you see a red card for this but it’s not a great tackle and one that can hurt players.
‘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. That’s never been a red card so we can’t start asking for them now.
‘Mikel Arteta should be more frustrated about his team not winning the game than about the tackle. It seems like he thinks there’s a conspiracy against him and his team – there isn’t. That’s just the way it goes.
‘It’s a tackle that long-term we have to look at though. The reason I said it’s not a red as it’s never been given as a red card but it is a really dangerous one.
‘When you scissor tackle you risk knees and ankles caught underneath you – I had to have surgery after one. 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.
‘I don’t like the tackle. It’s a pure desperation tackle. 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-month injury with ones like that.’
The incident comes just days before Arsenal’s Champions League quarter-final second leg showdown against Real Madrid at the Bernabéu.
Arsenal head into the clash with a 3-0 lead, having battered the Spanish and European champions in the first leg at the Emirates on Tuesday.