The FA are reportedly unlikely to sanction Arsenal attacker Gabriel Martinelli further following the Brazilian’s yellow card for a push on referee Sam Barrott during the 2-1 FA Cup quarter-final loss at Southampton on Saturday (April 4).
Following Ross Stewart’s 35th-minute opener for the Saints at St. Mary’s, substitute Viktor Gyokeres restored parity for the visitors midway through the second period before Shea Charles’ 85th-minute strike knocked out the Gunners.
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With Mikel Arteta’s side looking to score a second equaliser and force extra time, Martinelli, 24, sought to take a quick free-kick and ‘gently shoved’ Barrott, for which he received a yellow card.
As per the Athletic (via the Metro), the FA won’t take any further action on Martinelli, as Barrott had only brandished a yellow for the incident at the time. However, former Premier League referee Mark Halsey reckons the Brazilian has got off lightly, telling the Sun:
“Referee Sam Barrott awarded a free-kick to Arsenal, Martinelli comes rushing in and he pushes Sam out of the way. Now I’m sorry, Gabriel Martinelli showed total disrespect for the match official Sam Barrott in that situation. Although Sam issued a yellow card, for me it’s a red card. You just cannot put your hands on a referee, let alone push him out of the way.
“I thought Sam had a good game, he refereed the game well, but I think he let the refereeing community down by not sending off Gabriel Martinelli for pushing him at the award of a free-kick, so he could take the free-kick quickly.”
The Gunners’ loss at the weekend means they have now exited both domestic cup competitions in the space of two weeks, having lost 2-0 to Manchester City in the EFL Cup final just before the international break.
“We have to pick ourselves up” – Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta after Southampton defeat
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta wants his team to regroup quickly following their FA Cup quarter-final defeat against Southampton at the St. Mary’s Stadium at the weekend.
Despite being out of both domestic cups, the Gunners are alive in two other competitions, leading the Premier League by nine points and reaching the UEFA Champions League quarter-finals.
“In the season you have to go through periods,” Arteta told BBC Sport after the game.
“Some of them are difficult for whatever reason. Now we have two very disappointing results, and we have to pick ourselves up. Now we have to show what we are made of and the way to do that is on the pitch and not here.”
Arteta’s side travel to Sporting CP on Tuesday (April 7) for the first leg of their Champions League last-eight clash, having beaten Galatasaray 4-1 on aggregate in the previous round.
Edited by Bhargav
