Virgil van Dijk defends ‘unhappy’ Liverpool players after Conor Bradley incident

Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk insisted his “unhappy” team-mates were right to take aim at Gabriel Martinelli for shoving the seriously injured Conor Bradley.

Martinelli threw the ball at Northern Ireland international Bradley and then manhandled him as he lay on the pitch in the closing stages of Thursday’s 0-0 draw at the Emirates.

Bradley, 22, was taken away on a stretcher and gingerly departed the stadium on crutches wearing a supportive brace on his left knee.

Martinelli issued an apology for the stoppage-time flashpoint, writing on Instagram: “Conor and I have messaged and I have already apologised to him.

“I really didn’t understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment. I want to say I’m deeply sorry for reacting.

“Sending Conor all my best again for a quick recovery.”

Alexis Mac Allister and Ibrahima Konate both pushed Martinelli in retaliation to the Arsenal winger’s reaction to Bradley – one that former Manchester United defender Roy Keane labelled a “disgrace” on Sky Sports – and Van Dijk said: “Everyone was unhappy at that moment.

“It wasn’t a couple of players, but everyone, and rightly so because Conor was on the pitch and to be pushing him off the pitch is not really a good sight.

“The long ball came, Conor is challenging for it, falls down on the pitch and obviously Martinelli pushes him off the pitch and our players reacted.

“We all came together. And we had no clue what really happened, but it doesn’t look great, and it doesn’t look great on Martinelli either.

“We are focusing on Conor now. Hopefully it is not the worst, but it doesn’t look great. He will have medical tests coming up in the next 24 hours and we will have to adapt.”

Arsenal failed to capitalise on Manchester City’s 1-1 home draw against Brighton in an uninspiring stalemate with the defending champions.

However, they moved six points of clear of Pep Guardiola’s side, while Liverpool, now 10 matches unbeaten, remain 14 points back.

And Van Dijk continued: “We are in a position where we don’t want to be. We are the current champions. It has been a very inconsistent and difficult season so far and that is something I am personally not happy with, and we are not happy with as a team, as a club.

“Consistency is the key to being successful and that has been proven. That is what we had last year and unfortunately in that sense we haven’t been good enough (this season). The only thing we can do is try and get it back and every three or four days we have an opportunity to do that.

“The only ones that can turn it around is us, with the manager, and that is what we work hard on each and every day. I have the belief and I am fully confident we have the players and staff to turn it around.”

Liverpool will return to action in the third round of the FA Cup against Barnsley on Monday night, while Arsenal will play a day earlier when they travel to Portsmouth.