Martinelli: Nørgaard 'could have broken my leg'

LONDON -- Arsenal winger Gabriel Martinelli has said Christian Nørgaard "could have broken my leg" and should have been sent off for a late tackle in Saturday's 1-1 draw with Brentford.

The incident occurred in the 28th minute at Emirates Stadium, when Nørgaard scythed down Martinelli to stop the Gunners launching a counter-attack.

Thomas Partey later opened the scoring on 61 minutes before Yoann Wissa earned a point with a clever turn and finish 13 minutes later but the game was overshadowed by the Nørgaard tackle, which provoked an angry reaction from Martinelli.

A source told ESPN that Nørgaard attempted to apologise in the tunnel at half-time but Martinelli waved away the midfielder.

Speaking about the tackle to Sky Sports, Martinelli said: "I didn't see that again but in my opinion, in the moment if my foot was on the floor, he could break my leg.

"He said he didn't mean it. I believe him but still, you know? He could have broken my leg. For me, it was red. I need to see it again to be sure but for me it was nasty."

Brentford boss Thomas Frank said in response: "That is his opinion. I thought it was a strong yellow but it was a yellow."

Arsenal boss Mikel Arteta protested furiously on the touchline at the time and later said, "I think my reaction tells everything."

Arteta also cast doubt over the availability of Ben White and Partey for Wednesday's Champions League quarterfinal showdown against Real Madrid.

The Gunners travel to Spain aiming to back up a stunning 3-0 first-leg win on Wednesday as they bid to reach the semifinal stage for the first time since 2009.

White missed Saturday's game after picking up a knock in training on Friday while Partey was substituted late on.

Arteta refused to specify the problem but said of Partey: "He felt something so we didn't want to take any risks.

"We don't know [if he will be fit for Wednesday], I haven't spoken to the doctors yet. So they will check him now and see how he is."

Pushed again on White, Arteta said: "Again, we don't know. So he could not be in condition to be in the squad today and be selected. So we have a few days but we'll have to wait and see."