Liverpool's Arne Slot defends Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli over Conor Bradley injury

Slot has insisted emotions and time-wasting debates played a big part in the controversial moment involving Gabriel Martinelli.

Bradley went down in the fourth minute of added time at the Emirates after a challenge with Martinelli and appeared to injure his knee. As the Liverpool defender lay on the turf, Martinelli kicked the ball against him and tried to move him off the pitch, prompting angry reactions from the visiting players. Ibrahima Konate was booked, while Martinelli received a yellow card from referee Anthony Taylor.

Slot said the immediate worry was Bradley's condition. "I don't know the injury yet, but it didn't look great," he said. "If you have to come off on a stretcher, that is never a good sign. We have to wait for the scans to know how bad it is. Maybe he can play on Monday - let's hope so."

Bradley, who hit the crossbar in the first half, later left the stadium on crutches, raising fears of another spell on the sidelines for the right-back.

Slot was keen not to single out Martinelli, instead highlighting what he sees as a growing problem in football. "When we see the video, we all think the same, but I don't think it was meant in a bad way," he said. "There is so much time-wasting and players pretending to be injured in the final minutes of games that players can get annoyed."

The Liverpool head coach added: "I don't know Gabriel Martinelli, but he comes across as a nice guy. In the ninety-fourth minute, when emotions are high and you want to score a goal, it is not easy to judge a situation like that. I am one hundred percent sure that if he knew what the injury might be, he would never do that."

The stalemate ended Arsenal's seven-match winning run in all competitions and was the first goalless league meeting between the sides since August 2015. Arsenal remain top of the Premier League, six points clear of Manchester City, while Liverpool sit fourth and are now unbeaten in 10 matches across all competitions.

Slot was pleased with his side's resilience. "It was a tough game away from home," he said. "We defended well, had our moments, and in the end it was a point that shows how strong we are becoming."