Arsenal's Gabriel Martinelli has apologised to Conor Bradley after he shoved the injured Liverpool defender during Thursday's Premier League clash.

The Gunners were frustrated at Emirates Stadium, where they were held to a 0-0 draw by the reigning champions, leaving Arsenal six points clear at the top of the Premier League.

But a flashpoint occurred in second-half stoppage time, when Bradley went down injured near the touchline.

Bradley eventually had to be taken off on a stretcher, with Liverpool boss Arne Slot fearing the full-back – who had earlier hit the crossbar – has suffered a serious knee injury.

However, before Bradley received treatment, Martinelli bounced the ball off the stricken defender and even attempted to push him off the pitch so play could continue.

The incident sparked furore among fans and pundits, with Sky Sports' Gary Neville and Roy Keane both hugely critical of Martinelli, who has now apologised.

"I really didn't understand he was seriously injured in the heat of the moment," Martinelli posted on Instagram.

"I want to say I'm deeply sorry for reacting. Sending Conor all my best again for a quick recovery."

Slot, for his part, defended Martinelli, suggesting the Brazil international would not have acted in such a way had he been aware that Bradley was really injured.

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta, meanwhile, said: "[Martinelli] is an incredible, lovely guy. I don't know what happened to Conor, but hopefully it's not bad. Obviously, there is no intention from Gabi to do anything bad to him." 

Martinelli's temper boiled over after a largely toothless display from Arsenal, who failed to truly test Alisson from any of their nine shots, accumulating just 0.57 expected goals.

Liverpool, meanwhile, failed to land a shot on target in a Premier League match for the first time since March 2010 versus Wigan Athletic.

This was the first 0-0 draw between Arsenal and Liverpool in the Premier League since August 2015. There had been 79 goals scored across their previous 20 league meetings, at an average of 3.95 per match.