Arsenal star Gabriel Martinelli slammed by pundit after controversy pictured – ‘it’s poor’
Paul Robinson has slammed Arsenal forward Gabriel Martinelli for his reaction to Emerson Royal’s challenge in the North London derby.
Speaking exclusively to Football Insider, the former Spurs and England number one suggested Martinelli’s “poor reaction” led to Emerson, 23, being sent off.
As pictured by BT Sport (1 October), Emerson was shown a straight red by referee Anthony Taylor following a high tackle on Martinelli in the second half of Tottenham’s 3-1 loss at the Emirates.
VAR did not adjudge there to have been a clear and obvious error and the decision stood.
As quoted by Sky Sports (1 October), Spurs manager Antonio Conte questioned the consistency of officiating in the Premier League after the incident.
When asked by Football Insider for his assessment of the controversial sending off, Robinson said: “Martinelli’s reaction is poor, in all honesty.
“When you look at it in slow motion it looks worse than it was.
“The referee has seen where Emerson has caught him and decided that was enough. There is not enough evidence on VAR to overturn it. If you watch VAR it looks worse than it does in real time.
“It was just a mist-timed challenge. It was not dangerous in any way. There was no force behind the challenge.
“Martinelli made a lot out of it. His reaction did not help. It contributed to Emerson getting sent off in my opinion.
“The sending off did not cost Spurs on Saturday though. They were poor. They were too defensive.”
In other news, Campbell has backed Arsenal to seal a deal for a ‘devastating’ Gabriel Martinelli ally in January.