‘Not great at all’: Gary Neville rips into Arsenal player for what he did in the first-half v Brighton

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Gary Neville was left baffled as Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli escaped punishment for a first-half challenge on Kirou Mitoma this afternoon.

Martinelli went steaming into a 50/50 with Mitoma and arrived way too late to win the ball. In the end, the Brazilian ended up smashing into the Brighton man to leave him floored.

At the time, it looked like a woeful tackle. And on replays, things didn’t get too much better either.

However, the referee opted against booking Martinelli, who then got crunched by Moises Caicedo and was forced to leave the field injured.

And watching on for Sky Sports on comms, Neville admitted he was shocked by what Martinelli did, and then the decision not to book him.

“It did not look clever first time. It was never his ball and that is not great at all. Did he not book him? Wow, that is incredible. He could not have complained if that was a red…,” Neville said.

Of course, Mitoma has been linked with a move to Arsenal this summer. Coincidentally, he’d actually be challenging with Martinelli for the starting berth on the wide left.

TBR’s View: Martinelli could have been sent off

If another referee had initially given the decision of a red card then nobody would have complained. Martinelli absolutely smashed into Mitoma and he looked like he knew it as well.

Arsenal have moaned all season long about key decisions going against them but this was one that went firmly in the favour.

As Neville points out, it is a bizarre call not to book Martinelli. Mitoma was well and truly taken down and on another day, the Brazilian sees red.

Brighton might feel it a bit of karma he has had to go off injured. It really was a terrible tackle and it will be interesting to see what Roberto de Zerbi has to say about it at full-time.